The Race For Destiny (Working Title)
by LycoRogue
Summary: Story I'm working on for NaNoWriMo. It's raw. ***** Natalie is magically transported to the magical world of Gyateara where she meets Heroes' Guild graduate Connor. They soon discover their destines are intertwined with the chaos ravaging the country of Albion. Their decisions decide if Albion falls farther in to ruin or if it's brought to an Arthurian-like rule.
1. Chapter 1

****A/N: Alright, we're switching things up a little bit. This is NOT a Hey Arnold! fanfic. In fact, it's kind of hard to even call it the Fable x Legend of Zelda crossover that it's listed as. This is basically a story heavily influenced by those two games, but I also have elements of InuYasha, Fushigi Yuugi, Vision of Escaflowne, and a sprinkling of a small handful of other shows.**

**This currently untitled story is what I'm working on for National Novel Writing Month (Nov 2012). It is a sloppy, quickly written, raw, unedited first draft. I may not complete the story by the end of November, and if that happens I'm not sure when I will finish the story, we'll just have to see.**

**So please feel free to give constructive criticism once you're done reading this chapter. Let me know what works for you and what doesn't - and preferably why - so if/when I go back and edit this tale I know what to keep and what to cut.**

**For those of you who have read my Hey Arnold story "What is Truly Meant to Be" I will be starting back up on writing the next chapter after I've conquered this challenge. Sorry about the long wait.****

**_Chapter 1_**

Natalie hummed along to Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" as she jogged down the same leaf covered path she had taken since she was ten. Her steps softly thudded on the dirt trail that laced through the tightly packed trees. As each well-known tree flew past her peripheral she fought an impulse to experiment with Parkour by leaping from trunk to trunk; they were woven close enough together to actually do it with enough momentum.

She blamed the compulsion on her jogging mix. Perhaps it wasn't the smartest idea to fill it with songs that felt like they belonged as the music bed under the opening credits of an action movie – just fast enough to get the audience pumped, but not so fast as to make the opening feel rushed. Those songs, such as "The Chemicals Between Us" by Bush and "I Hate Myself for Loving You" by Joan Jett, just seemed the perfect soundtrack for her runs.

She could picture the camera trucking beside her – perhaps some overhead shots – as she raced around town or through the woods. Opening credits in the corners of the fictitious screen. The audience getting excited and drawn in with the simple act of watching her exercise. Then she'd wonder what the rest of the movie would be about.

If the desire to attempt some Parkour moves was the downside to the jogging mix, the highlight of the playlist was Natalie's ability to just daydream while listening to it. She could get lost, and on occasion literally did. Her body would just click in to autopilot and wander while it allowed her mind to do the same.

She loved these woods the most for those mind-clearing days. She practically had every inch of them memorized. It's hard not to when she had played in them every summer since childhood. She never seemed to have school friends close enough to really hang out with over breaks, and so packing up and visiting her grandparents for the summer was the highlight of every year.

They were like a second set of parents. Mom and Dad were "school year" parents, and Nana and Poppy were "Summer Parents". It nearly killed her when they passed away two years ago. Nana had been sick for a while and as much as Natalie and her parents tried to help out, it was just too much for Poppy to emotionally handle. As Nana got worse and worse Poppy took less and less care of himself; spending all his time trying to nurse his ailing wife. When she finally died it broke him completely. He had given up, even when Natalie and her mother tried telling Poppy that he still had them to live for. Natalie couldn't bear to watch her grandfather waste away when he had nothing physically wrong with him.

As much as she hated him for giving up and leaving them unnecessarily, Natalie also cherished the idea that her grandparents were so much in love that they literally couldn't live without the other. She both desired and feared finding a love like that.

When she was willed the estate she was originally uneasy to live in a home that was filled with such sorrow. Then she remembered all the happiness that was originally in the house and in the surrounding woods. She couldn't imagine never spending another summer there and soon after moved out of her parents' and in to her new home.

The town was one of those sleepy little burbs that was mostly home to retirees and young families. There were Community Days where nearly the entire populous walked the town and enjoyed the company of their neighbor. There were cozy little parades, energetic Trick-or-Treating nights filled with excited young children, and filled football stadiums regardless of how bad the high school team actually was; no one wanted to admit they were really there for the award-winning marching band.

Natalie was quite content in her little house in her little town. Nothing terribly exciting really happened to her, and she was hard pressed to find a fellow unmarried twenty-something. Still, she had her woods and her hours jogging through them. She had her daydreams of finding a more fulfilling job than a clerk at the bookstore. She had her hope for some sort of companionship.

Natalie again hummed "White Rabbit" and half-realized her playlist had restarted a little while ago. Normally she'd be back at the house by the last song. She must have been daydreaming more intensely than usual. With a quick glance around she still couldn't even tell if she was heading back to the edge of the woods. With a huff she jogged to the best tree she could find to climb.

She was nowhere near her house. She could see it, but it was a lot farther than she intended. She wasn't sure if she was even on her property any longer. She did have to admit though that the view from that treetop was amazing. A decade of playing in these woods and it wasn't until two years ago did she finally see them in the beauty of autumn. If only her grandparents were still around, autumn may have become her favorite season.

Once firmly back on the ground, she angled herself back towards the house and began jogging again. She concentrated on her surroundings in order to ward off daydreaming and getting even more lost. The trees seemed packed tighter this far back. They were ancient, thick, tall, and untouched. Natalie prayed they'd stay that way.

The whole area seemed trapped in time. There were no longer dirt paths or low brush that was easy to jog through. Natalie wondered how she managed to jog through the undergrowth in the first place. She had to slow her pace as she stepped over thorned bushes, large rocks, and moss-covered fallen tree trunks. She then ducked under a few more trunks and wove her way through the canopy of a few wild rhododendrons. Every half-mile or so she would find another tree to climb in order to make sure she was still heading back home.

While up in her third tree to readjust her barrings, a clearing caught Natalie's eye. Just east of her the trees suddenly gapped in a near-perfect circle. Her growing weariness waned as curiosity tugged at her. With renewed purpose, she pushed her way through the scratching bushes, prickling brush, and rough low-branched trees.

The excitement of discovery bubbled as her legs quickened. Before she realized it, Natalie was in a full sprint; ignoring the scratches the plant life tried to ward her away with.

Breaking through the last of the rhododendron branches, she was greeted with a large stone platform. It was horribly weather worn and overgrown with moss and ivy. Ferns the size of small palm leaves skirted the base of the stone plate. Four thin pillars arched out of the base like stone scythe blades set at the cardinal directions. Even though the platform itself was about seven feet wide, the opening between the pillar peaks was only about two feet in diameter. There were etchings of what appeared to be runes all throughout the structure.

Natalie mindlessly stepped on to her finding and started pulling the weeds off of it, exposing as much stone as possible. She didn't take in the full construction; concentrating solely on the growth she was peeling off. Once done she turned off her iPod, hopped back off, and walked the perimeter, her fingers tracing the weather-worn writing. There was something familiar to them, as if she saw them in a text book once upon a time and her brain was scrambling to remember what they meant.

She gently tugged on a silver chain on her neck, pulling a smooth, vibrant pink gemstone charm out from under her shirt. Her grandfather had made the necklace as an anniversary gift. It was beautiful in its simplicity. A small silver casing held the top of the polished stone and another accent casing dangled from the bottom of the stone, creating an upside down teardrop. Natalie's mother didn't care for the necklace, and so Nana had instead presented the early inheritance to Natalie on her thirteenth birthday. As much as her grandmother loved the necklace it just didn't suit the older woman any longer and it pained her to have such a beautiful gem locked away in a jewelry box. Natalie proudly only removed the necklace while bathing and swimming; wearing it made her grandparents feel close.

"What on Earth is this, Poppy?" Natalie rubbed the stone with her thumb as she completed her pace around the platform. With a curious sigh Natalie again climbed on to the platform and sat dead center.

"I wish you could see this," she continued, "You'd get a kick out of something so weird."

A slow moment passed and Natalie became acutely aware that there wasn't a single sound. There were no bugs, no birds, no critters crunching on the fallen leaves, no planes flying overhead, no wind rustling the branches. A chill ran up her back and she tightly squeezed the charm of her necklace.

"Maybe I should finally head home." She stood up and took a step towards the edge of the platform. In an instant the carvings in the stone glowed purple, the light filling in the lines that were washed away with time. "What the?" A wave of soft blue light wrapped around her like dry water filling a glass she was stuck in. For a second she feared drowning. "Hey wait, what's going on here?" She mentally yelled for her legs to just sprint to her home, but dark blue laser-like beams began bursting out of the stone around her as if they were jets of water from a ground fountain. As the lasers hit her that body part began to tingle like the muscles were regaining feeling after falling asleep.

Within the span of seven seconds more and more lasers shot up from the floor, filling in all the space within the wall of liquid light filling up to the opening between the pillars. Natalie's body was completely numb and unresponsive to her mental pleas to move. A trail of blue flakes of light resembling the bursts from sparkler fireworks spiraled along the wall of light from the base of the northern pillar to the opening at the peak. As the sparks reached the top of the structure the blue light flashed, blinding her for a second.

When her eyesight returned, the trail of blue sparks descended down the same spiral path. The wall of blue liquid light drained as the sparks left the surface. Fewer and fewer beams shot from the platform until none were left. The tingling vanished from Natalie's body and she was again able to move, although she felt greatly weakened while attempting.

Around her the environment was drastically different than what she recalled. The trees were set much further back, instead creating a tree line instead of the platform being set in a small clearing, and they were dreary and dead looking. Instead, the ground was bare dirt, dismal and barren. Scattered throughout the tree line were stone skeletons of either a bunch of closely packed small structures or one large structure the size of Grand Central Station. In front of her were stone stairs that led to a dirt path that ran along the top of tall archways just to her right. The sky was dark and heavily clouded as if desiring to rain and just waiting on the okay to do so.

Even the platform she was standing on was different. A set of three stone stairs – each one increasing in length – descended from between each of the four pillars. The platform base was now easily eleven feet wide. The outer six feet of the platform were smooth and marbled, creating a decorative rim. The inner-most circle roughly five feet wide resembled thick, blue glass and glowed. The only places where there were still carvings in the stone were up each of the pillars – which now looked more like Celtic designs – and a small elevated circle that separated the blue center from the rest of the platform. The ring was an inch wide and contained a lot of the same runes that once covered the structure Natalie had climbed on to in the woods.

Natalie wasn't sure if it were sunlight or moonlight seeping through the thick clouds, but the only other source of light was coming from the platform itself. Along with the innermost circle that she was standing on, there were also basketball-sized gemstones set in to each of the pillars. Each stone's glow matched the pale blue from the base, and their light was concentrated in to beams angled at the center circle.

"What the hell?" Forcing her lungs to remember how to function, Natalie started stomping on the glowing center plate of the platform. "Bring me home, you stupid thing! What the hell are you? I want trees. I want the smell of autumn. I want my cozy house." She again squeezed her grandmother's pendant and shut her eyes. She started quickly tapping her heals together, "There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home. God, I wish this would actually work."

A numbing sensation came over her right foot and left hand. She opened her eyes to see the lasers again shooting up from below her. The wall of liquid light began bubbling up the sides of the pillars. "Holy crap!" she shakily sighed, "that really worked?"

"Is the Ancient Cullis Gate actually working?" a gruff, British-sounding voice called out. Startled, Natalie quickly turned to a rickety wooden bridge behind her, feeling faint at the forced effort to move her body. A slender silhouette crossed the bridge, followed by a burly one almost a foot taller. At the sight of the two figures, the light died around the structure, leaving only the spotlighting from the glowing blue stones and the plate below her feet.

"Bloody hell! It did look like someone was trying to teleport, didn't it?" The larger figure's voice was deep and gravelly, but also had the British accent.

"Who cares about that?" a Scottish-sounding voice just as deep but somehow smoother than the other two came across the bridge. "Have you noticed that it's a woman who was just trying to activate it?" The two figures stepped to the side and the third figure stepped between them. He looked even larger than the second guy and he led them towards the stone platform Natalie was on.

The little one came in to view first. He was slender and slightly hunched. He had a black bandana and mask wrapped around his head. His black shirt was sleeveless with a long tear through the abdomen, his black pants were also a bit worse for wear, and the sole of his left black boot was starting to come undone. He had leather straps wrapped around each arm and bracers on each wrist. A large sword hung from his back. Every step the man took forward, Natalie took one back.

The second man became visible next. His chest was bare except for a strap that held a large ax against his back. He was heavily muscular and his muscles rippled as he rolled his shoulders and flexed his chest. The hems of his baggy shorts were shredded and the left leg was longer than the right. He was bald except for a small topknot-like ponytail. An ugly scar lined the side of his face.

"What's a pretty thing like you doing here?" the smaller man laughed, quickening his pace.

Natalie prayed for whatever it was that brought her to this place to send her back as she stepped further away from the men's advances. As soon as her feet left the blue center plate the glow turned off the platform, leaving the soft glow of the clouded sky her only light.

"What happened to the Cullis Gate?" The Scottish voice grumbled from the bridge. "Why did it turn off? What did that little witch do?"

"I didn't do anything," she called back, "Please, I'm just lost and want to go home. I didn't mean to cause any harm. Just- just please leave me alone."

"I want her," was the Scottish man's reply.

"Please, no!" Natalie spun around and sprinted down the steps of the platform and towards the dirt road that ran across the archways. The two men pursued with more speed than she'd envision them capable with those large weapons across their backs. Out of her peripheral she only barely noticed that the blue glow from the embedded gemstones and center plate didn't return when the men stepped on the stone platform.

Still tired from both her earlier jog and whatever it was that brought her to this place, Natalie struggled to push her legs faster. Just as she reached the top of the stone stairs the smaller man tackled her and pinned her to the ground.

"Stop! Get off of me! Help! Someone, please help me!"

"Man, this broad talks funny," the man said as he pinned her arms behind her.

"Yeah, she dresses weird too." The bigger man scooped her up and pressed her back firmly against his chest, keeping her arms securely pinned between them. His one arm wrapped tightly around her waist and his other pressed hard against her chest, his hand around her throat.

The men marched her back down the stairs and to the Scottish man. It was harder to know what he looked like with the dim lighting, plus it was hard to figure out where his armor ended and his own mass began. He was only an inch or two taller than the man who had her pinned, but the height difference seemed so much more intimidating with so much armor. His plate mail was thick and heavy with battle damage covering more of the metal than the war paint was. His boots had metal plates creating a steel toe protection, but it also worked as a weapon by way of a three-inch long spike coming out of the front of each of them. His shoulder pads and chest plate were all decorated with angered skulls, as were too the bases of his hammers which were dented and chipped through excessive use. He also wore a skull as a half-mask with his thick grey beard sticking out from underneath.

"Strange little witch," the Scottish man leaned in and stroked her chin. She tried to bite him, but he saw it coming and quickly walked away.

"I'm not a witch. I have no clue what you're talking about so you should just let me go."

"You hear that, Lads?" The Scottish man laughed, "I guess we should just let her go then, huh?"

"Yeah, you really should." A stern Irish-sounding voice came from on top of the archways. A man stood with his bow aimed at them. "The lady doesn't seem to want your company."

The Scottish man turned to the smallest and pointed to the archer, "kill him."

The little man took three steps before his neck was pierced by the Irishman's arrow. Natalie cried out as the man fell in a heap on the ground. She was silenced by the man holding her tightening his grip, crushing her against his chest.

"I can just have my man kill her now," the Scottish man called up, "Leave us alone now if you wish the witch's safety."

The Irishman notched another arrow, "Or I could just do this." Natalie clenched her eyes as the arrow whizzed past her and threw the eye of her captor. She didn't even realize he was dead until she felt his grip release and heard him thump on to the ground. She forced her weak knees to hold herself up as she ran away from the corpse.

"You son of a bitch!" The Scottish man reached out and grabbed Natalie firmly by the upper arm, pulling her against his rugged armor. She cried out in both surprise and pain as her back got scratched on the rough metal. "You just killed her you little wretch!" The two of them looked up at the Irishman's perch only to find it vacant. "Where are you, Hero?" The Scottish man growled.

"Right here you big oaf."

The Scottish man whipped the two of them around to see the archer now brandishing his sword and charging at them. Natalie cried out as her captor wrapped his heavy left arm around her waist, picked her off the ground by pinning her weight against him, and pulled out his own weapon.

"I'll see both of you dead, boy," he swung his hammer but his slow movements were easily dodged by the smaller man. Natalie struggled against the large man's arm, trying to use his attacks as distractions in his tight grip. Behind her she heard clanging of the young man's sword against the back of the thick armor. There were a few more test swings as the Scottish man attempted to knock the man with his hammer.

After a five minute battle the Irishman managed to find a weak spot in the back of the man's armor and drove his sword in to it. Natalie shrieked as the Scottish man coughed blood on to her and pulled her in closer.

"Duck," the Irish voice demanded and Natalie shrank herself as much as she could against the firm grip pinning her. A sickening whoosh rung in her ear before she was showered in more blood. As her feet touched the ground again the Irishman grabbed her and pulled her away from the corpse, the large man's head resting next to his heavily armored body.

Natalie attempted to thank her rescuer, but her eyes quickly lost focus when she tried to look at him. With a swift movement she put her hand on his chest to push away from him, collapsed to the ground, and vomited.

"Aw, shit!" The man knelt next to her, rubbing her back and checking to see what blood was hers. "Lady, are you alright?"

Natalie was never more grateful that she only drank protein shakes before jogging in the morning. Although she was still nauseous, her vomiting was relatively short. She wiped her mouth clean and again attempted to get a good look at her hero. Shaking, she fell in to his chest and sobbed, "I just want to go home," before fainting.

****A/N: I personally think this story should be fine for a T rating, but I'm not sure if the description of the decapitation and the arrow kill shots is too descriptive for T. Please, PLEASE let me know if I should bump this up to M.****


	2. Chapter 2

Natalie awoke to find herself again in a new location. She was lying in a stiff, unfamiliar twin-sized bed with a heavy quilt on top of her. The down pillow was nearly flat and a few of the feathers poked her sore cheeks. Well-crafted wooden furniture filled the room, but most of the pieces had nicks and dings in them. The square room was tiny, perhaps only about twelve feet wide. There was only one window right above the bed. In a beaten up rocking chair to her right a young man about her age slept.

His blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail that hung just below his shoulder blades. The hair that framed his face was shorter and fell gently in bangs, hanging low enough to cover his left eye. His face was soft, angled, and a touch feminine, but even as he slept his face had a stern scowl. Both of his ears were pierced with tiny blue hoops through each hole. The outer rim of his ears seemed longer than normal, and they came to distinct points at the top edge.

He wore a form-fitting, white, long-sleeve shirt with a chainmail vest. Over top of the vest was a loose red tunic, the low v-neck line left open with the unused string tied in a lazy bow. The waist of the tunic was held taught by a large leather belt; a money pouch hanging from his left hip and a utility pouch off the back of his right hip. His leather gloves had a green decoration embroidered in to them, and the laced-up cuffs reached half way up his forearms providing bracer-like protection. Aside from the ill-fitting tunic, the only other article of clothing he had that looked remotely comfortable to wear was his white pants. They were tight enough to not get in the way in a fight, but still lose enough to be comfortable and unrestrictive of his movements. Covering the lower half of his pants were red leather knee-high boots. Their embroidered design matched the gloves perfectly. The toe of the boots were covered in a steal plate, and an ornate metal knee-pad topped off the boot. Laced up between the heel and the knee-pad were four buckles.

His sword and bow were both leaned against the side of the chair, ready for him to pull if the need arose. His quiver of arrows hung buckled to the chair arm.

Startled, Natalie attempted to climb unnoticed out of the bed. Her back was burning in pain and her muscles screamed at her as she tried to arch her spine. Her whimper stirred the young man, "Oh, good. You're finally awake. I was beginning to worry about you." His voice was gentle and caring with an Irish accent that seemed familiar to her somehow. She was both scared and comforted with the idea of being alone with him.

"Who- Who are you?" she squeaked, "Where am I? What do you want?"

The man cocked his head with a look of bewilderment, "Well, I'm the man who saved you from the bandits, you're in Oakvale's inn, and I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Bandits? Oakvale? What on Earth is going on? What's with the accent? Am I in the UK or something?"

"I'm not sure what you mean by my accent when you're the one who speaks funny, and I'm also not sure what 'the UK' or 'on Earth is going on' mean."

Natalie huddled under her blanket, holing it to her chin like a shield, "Don't start teasing me about my accent, mister. I just want to know if I'm in the United Kingdom. The UK. Britain, Whales, Scotland, Ireland. Do any of those countries ring any bells?"

The man's questioning look grew, "I'm afraid I haven't heard of any of those countries, but then again I don't really know any other countries on Gyateara besides Albion. I guess I can assume there's more to this world than this one country. Are you from one of those places? From the UK?" He used air quotes while asking his last question.

"Gyateara? Is that some sort of subcontinent or something? I've never heard of it."

"Gyateara? Truthfully? You've never heard this world referred to as Gyateara before? Where did you think you lived this whole time?"

"Oh, I dunno, maybe a little planet called Earth?" she snarkily shot back.

"Earth? Is that what Gyateara is called in that UK of yours?"

"Dude, what are you talking about? First of all, I'm not from the UK. Can you not recognize an American accent when you hear one? Secondly, you're the only one I know that has ever called Earth this Gyateara thing. What's up with that?"

The man stood up and sat on the edge of Natalie's bed, reaching out to her.

"Hey! What are you doing there, buster?" She pulled the sheets tighter around her, ignoring the pain in her back as she shifted on the mattress.

"Perhaps you hit your head at some point before I got to you. Who knows what those bandits did. You were covered in enough blood."

"Blood?" She slowly remembered standing on that stone platform just outside her grandparents' estate, the blue glow around her, the world completely transforming, and being attacked by those bandits before the man sitting on her bed killed them all. She remembered the sticky warmth of the wave of blood that hit her after one of her captors was decapitated. She choked down some vomit.

"You don't really remember anything, do you?" Natalie didn't move away as the man reached his hand out to feel her forehead.

"What's today's date?" Natalie reached up and grabbed his tunic.

"Poor thing," he shook his head, "you really are confused, aren't you?"

"What is today's date?" Natalie demanded.

"The Twelfth of Autium."

"Autium?"

"Yeah. You know, Freestily, Whentia, Transineum, Blumery, Wrensera, Somerry, Kulser, and then Autium."

"Oh god, now what are you talking about?"

"The months of the year? You asked about the date."

"Holy crap."

The man placed his hands on Natalie's shoulders and slowly lowered her back down to the bed. "Perhaps I should get a doctor. Seems you've been injured more than I figured."

"January, February, March, April, May, June."

"What are you doing?"

Natalie's eyes glazed over as she frantically scanned the ceiling, "July, August, September, October, November, December."

The man opened his large green eyes as wide as he could, "It's alright, miss. I'll get the doctor and we'll figure this out." He slowly stood up and walked towards the door.

"No, wait!" Natalie again bolted upright, a burning pain shooting up her spine.

"It will be fine. I'll be right back. You're safe here."

"Tell me about that stone structure you rescued me by."

The man stopped short, "The Ancient Cullis Gate? Why?"

"Yeah, I think that's what they called it. That large circular stone platform with the blue gemstones, right?"

"Yeah?" The man slowly walked back to her bed, "But what do you want to know about it?"

"What does it do? Is it a time travel device or something?"

"Well, no one really knows. It hasn't worked in at least a thousand years. We just assume it's another cullis gate because it looks like one. That and that's what everyone calls it."

"Alright, then what are the cullis gates?"

"You have to be kidding me."

"Please, tell me. What are the cullis gates? What do they do?"

"They're simple transportation points. You use them as summoning beacons when you use a teleportation shield."

Natalie sank back under the covers. "Teleportation? As in moving from one location to another a great distance away in just a matter of seconds?"

"Well, sure." The man's eyes scanned Natalie from head to toe, "You seem very shaken up by this news. Is there something wrong?"

"Are you sure it doesn't have you travel through time?" Natalie's eyes were wild, not focusing on anything as her mind attempted to compute the information.

The man laughed, "No one can travel through time. What a preposterous idea!" Natalie's wild eyes continued darting around the room and she began to shake. "Let me go get that doctor for you. He can help you."

"A teleportation device. Gyateara. Autium. Albion. There's no way," she muttered to herself, "There's just no way."

The man gathered his sword and headed towards the door of the small room. As his hand touched the knob Natalie again called out for him to stop. He turned, his concern for her evident.

"You never heard of England, or Scotland, or Ireland, or Whales, or the United States of America?" The man sadly shook his head. "And you don't know Africa or Europe or Asia or Antartica?" He silently shook his head again. "And this planet is called Gyateara and not Earth?" Slowly, the man nodded, his eyes narrowing as he tried to figure out what she was doing. "And the months are not January, February, March, April?"

"What is with all of these questions? How did you think of all those weird names?"

"Those cullis gates just allow people to travel through space and not time, correct?"

"We just went over-"

Natalie cut him off, "And no one knows what that ancient one does because it hasn't worked in a millennia?"

"I'm getting the doctor now." The man turned the handle and yanked the door open.

As he placed a foot outside the door Natalie cried out, "I think I'm from a different planet."


	3. Chapter 3

The blonde man who had rescued Natalie stood frozen in the open doorway. "A different planet?"

"Yes, a planet called Earth," Natalie rushed, "It's the third planet in the Sol solar system in the spiral arm of the Milky Way galaxy. Does any of this sound familiar to you?"

The man shook his head and bit the inside of his lower lip; furrowing his brow. His eyes kept darting out in to the hallway as if he wanted to leave for that doctor, but he stood firm.

Natalie frantically continued, "Listen, on the planet Earth there is a continent called North America. I live in the country The United States of America; in the state of Pennsylvania. I was walking through the forest that is behind my grandparents' old house and I found this stone platform that looked like that Ancient Cullis Gate, but it was simpler looking. Anyway, I stepped on it and this blue glow surrounded me and when the glow vanished I was on the Ancient Cullis Gate with those bandits closing in on me. They commented about how it actually was working and then jumped me. I ran. They caught me. You rescued me. See? I remember all of that. I remember you on that dirt road above those archways and shooting two of the bandits before killing that large one with the skulls all over him. See? I'm not crazy. I remember everything. Please, please believe me."

Slowly, the man stepped back in to the room and closed the door. "You want me to believe that not only are there people that look like us on different planets, but that you came from one?"

"Yes! Yes, don't you see? Maybe that cullis gate thing could only be activated from my planet! Maybe that's why no one knew what it did or where it teleported people to. Maybe it's because it's an interplanetary device of some kind that no one knows how to work or something. Isn't that possible?"

The man scanned Natalie with dissecting eyes, tilting his head to get better angles. "It would explain the weird accent and the strange clothes. Not to mention why you were at the Ancient Cullis Gate with no weapon or protection."

"So, you believe me?"

"It is plausible, I guess. I'll have to talk to the Guildmaster and Maze to see what they think."

"Or you can just bring me back to that Ancient Cullis Gate thingy and I can just go home. I wasn't able to figure out how to activate it again when I got here, but if you know so much about them maybe you can teach me how they work."

"Well, alright, that does seem the easier solution. Just wait here and I'll be back in a little bit."

Natalie jumped forward a little bit, kneeling on the bed and reaching out to the strange man. "Wait, why? I thought you believed me."

"Regardless, I need to get you new clothes. The ones you were wearing were covered in blood and the back of your shirt was torn to shreds on those men's ragged armor."

"My clothes?" Natalie's brown eyes shot open wide as she slowly peaked under the quilt covering her. She was wearing a very plain white nightgown. Her head shot up in a panic, "Um, who? How did I get in this?"

The man gently blushed and smirked as he bashfully looked away.

"Oh my god! You didn't!" Natalie clutched the blanket close to her, wrapping it as tightly around her as possible.

The man chuckled. It was a deep laugh, but a warm and comforting one. "Calm down. I had the inn keeper's daughter redress you. She also mended your wounds. She tried to wash your clothing as well. I could fetch them if they are of some sentimental value to you."

Natalie's grip on the quilt softened, "No. The only thing I really care about is-" Her eyes shot open as her hand grabbed for her chest, "My necklace! Where's my grandmother's necklace?"

"Oh, this?" The man reached in to his money pouch and pulled the necklace out, letting the gemstone dangle.

"Oh my god, yes! Please, it's very important to me. I never take it off. Please, just give it back." Panicked, Natalie held out a shaky hand.

"Calm down, calm down. I wasn't going to keep it." He walked over to the bed and gently placed the necklace in to her outstretched grasp. "I cleaned the blood off of it, so you're welcome."

"Blood? Did that much spray on me?" Natalie shuddered. After shaking the thoughts out of her head she quickly latched the chain back around her neck and gestured for the man to leave, "Just hurry up and get me something to change in to so I can go home."

The man chuckled again and re-opened the door.

"Hey, wait!"

He sighed, "Now what?"

"I never- I mean, you never- I don't know your name."

His shoulders shook in a silent laugh and he gave her a half-smile, "Connor."

The gentle way he spoke his own name with that Irish accent gave Natalie a chill. She bit her lip and felt the burn of a blush as she replied, "I'm Natalie Myers." She shyly looked away as Connor finally exited the room.

"I hope these fit. I've never bought clothes for someone other than me before." Connor tossed a small pile on to the bed. "Just let me know when you're done in here."

Natalie waited for him to exit the room again before inspecting the clothes. There was a pair of loose-fitting khaki-colored pants, an equally loose lavender scoop-neck shirt with belled sleeves, a tan corset, a leather vest with white trim, a thick brown belt, and a pair of stockings. The entire ensemble felt both modern and Old World simultaneously. She was grateful her own undergarments survived her attack, seeing as no replacements were offered. She then wondered if people even wore undergarments in this world. She shuddered at the thought.

As she pulled of the nightgown she stared at the bandage wrapped around her abdomen. She gingerly touched her back. The slightest bit of pressure sent a sting, causing her to arch her back and set the rest of her cuts on fire. She let out a soft yelp and gritted her teeth. Bringing her hands back around, she inspected the bandages there too. The inside of her wrists were covered in gauze and just as tender as her back. Her fingertips, palms, and lower legs were all also scratched, but not bad enough to be bandaged. With a sigh she began to dress.

She hated having to wear such a dated, uncomfortable item as a corset, but since her sports bra wasn't readily available Natalie reluctantly caved in. Once dressed she called Connor back in to the room.

"How do they fit?" Connor eyed her up and down.

"They're good enough for now," she replied, "But I really wouldn't mind getting back to my own planet and putting my own clothes on. There's just one thing." She looked down at her stocking feet and wiggled her toes. "Am I supposed to go without shoes?"

"Oh! Right," he blushed, "I really wasn't sure about shoes, and the strange ones you were wearing still seem fine, so I thought you'd be more comfortable in those." He gathered his bow and quiver and waved for her to follow him out the door, "Do you mind walking downstairs without them? I figured we can fetch them and be on our way."

Natalie shook her head, "No, I don't have a problem as long as I'm not going to stub a toe or get a splinter or something."

"Alright then, let's go." Connor escorted her out the hallway and to the stairs leading to the main floor. Natalie wasn't sure what time it was, but she guessed it couldn't have been too late in the day yet. However, the main floor was still abuzz with laughter and cheering.

As Natalie descended the stairs she noticed that the entire first floor was a large pub. A long bar ran from the base of the steps to the front wall. There were large round tables scattered throughout the dining room, and a lit fireplace nestled in to the far wall. A man with a tall, green top hat had set up a card gambling station in the back corner by the fireplace. He was currently playing black jack with a patron while a few other men stood around and cheered the game on; roaring for the man to raise his bet. Another man with a lute leaned against the wall adjacent to the stairs. He instantly jumped and sprinted towards them the moment he saw Connor.

"Care for me to sing the praises of your good deeds, Hero?" The man gave a wide, toothy grin. "I've heard such great tales! Just a penny, Gov'ner."

"Everyone speaks like they're from the UK here, don't they?" Natalie asked more rhetorically than actually at Connor.

"Um, I guess so?" Connor replied over his shoulder as he shooed the bard away.

"Uh! The lady is up finally I see!" A girl about sixteen with long, straight, black hair hanging loose under a bandana jogged around the bar's counter top. Her shirt was stained from cooking and cleaning, a ragged apron covered the front of her plain pink skirt. She grabbed Natalie's right hand and squeezed it tight with both of hers. "I'm so glad to see ya up and about. Ya had us worried, Miss. With all that blood on ya we could have sworn ya'd have more than a few scrapes. Ya're a lucky one that this hero here found ya."

Connor gestured to the girl vigorously shaking Natalie's hand, "The inn keeper's daughter Rebecca."

Natalie gave a polite smile and soft nod before tugging her hand free. "Oh, well, thank you, Rebecca. I guess I am lucky to have been rescued when I was. And, uh, thank you as well for taking such good care of me. I must admit, I'm still not sure how long I was out."

"Oh, twas no trouble, I assure ya. Ya're only out for a little less than a day. I tried to do something with ya clothes, but there really wasn't much to work with. Come on, let's go fetch ya things." The girl motioned for them to follow her through the kitchen and out the back door where Natalie's clothes hung on a line leading from the inn to a tree.

Small holes covered the knees of her running pants, most likely caused by her rough tackle as she attempted to run from the bandits. The right side of her tank top was still stained red from the bandit's blood and the entire back was scratched up from her struggling against the sharp edges of the bandit's armor. Her bra was in equally bad shape. Some of the bandit's blood soaked through to the shoulder strap and some of the right cup, and the back strap was barely holding together. The only article of clothing that seemed reasonably useable still was her yellow zip-down hoodie she had tied around her waist once jogging warmed her up.

Rebecca ran to gather Natalie's running shoes and clothes off the line, handing them all to her in a large pile. Natalie wasn't sure what to do with most of the items, but gladly accepted the familiar garb. She slid her sneakers on and again thanked the girl before directing Connor towards the door. He lead her back through the inn and out the main entrance.

The town of Oakvale was small and simple. Three shops sat in front of them at the center of town. A small road to the left lead behind the inn and down to the docks. Another road to the left lead up a steep hill to a residential area. From the steps of the inn Natalie could only see about four cozy homes with large yards. To the right was a larger road that split off towards storage barns, the town graveyard, and another small residential area. The people seemed friendly as they walked about on their errands.

Connor slowly walked up the main dirt road that passed between the shops, Natalie on his heels as she clutched her clothing close to her chest. With a sigh Connor walked in to one of the shops.

"What are you doing? I thought you were taking me to the cullis gate," Natalie whispered to him.

"Look, we're going to go up against some nasty creatures and possibly some more bandits on our way there. You're already going to be a hindrance to the journey by forcing me to protect you the entire time, but I've done escorted quest before, I can handle them. What I can't handle is you being encumbered by those stupid clothes in your arms. So I'm getting you a sack to carry them in. Unless you want to just ditch everything."

Natalie felt silly keeping wrecked clothing, but in this foreign world she couldn't bear to part with them either. She pulled the ragged pile closer to her. Connor nodded with a soft eye roll before purchasing a small sack. Once Natalie's arms were again vacant they continued their trek out of town.

"If it's such a dangerous journey between here and the cullis gate, how did you manage to carry me all the way here while I was unconscious?"

"I teleported." Connor didn't even bother looking behind him as they continued.

"So, can't you just teleport us back?"

"It doesn't work like that. I need a cullis gate to teleport to."

"Right. Isn't that where we're going?"

"I need a cullis gate that actually works. The Ancient one isn't activated, remember? That's why no one knows anything about it."

"So how are we going to get there if we're not teleporting? Do you have cars or trains or something?"

"Are those more of your strange Earth-words? We're walking there on foot if that's what you mean." Connor shook his head as he readjusted the straps that held his sword to his back and his quiver to his left hip.

"Fabulous," Natalie huffed. "How far away is this gate then?"

"A few miles. Not terribly far. It's just dangerous."

"Fantastic."

"Most of the roads between towns are highly dangerous. Between the bandits and creatures it's hard to travel if you're ill-equipped. That's one of the reasons us heroes are so important to Albion. We're frequently used as bodyguards for the merchants as they carry their wares from place to place."

"Hold up," Natalie sprinted to get in front of Connor and then stopped with her hands up against his chest. A chill ran through her. "What do you mean by 'creatures'? Like, big animals or something?"

"Well, I guess. There's the Hobbes, but if you're trained enough they're not much worse than the bandits. The big concerns are the balverines. Nasty creatures that can turn you in to one of them if they bite you without killing you."

"Are you serious? You're telling me you have goddamn werewolves? What the hell place is this?"

Connor was taken aback, "I never heard of balverines referred to as werewolves. Do they exist on your planet as well? I do have to say that I like the name. They do have wolf-like tendencies."

"No! No, goddamn it! Werewolves don't friggen exist on Earth! Are you kidding me? They're make believe. They're horror stories about men turning in to humanoid wolves by the light of the full moon. You're telling me you guys actually have them?" Natalie dropped her arms and wobbled a little as she sank against a boulder, dropping to the ground. "Dude, if you actually have werewolves there is no way in hell I'm going to that gate on foot. We'll have to find another way."

"For crying out loud. I've protected three merchants at the same time while traveling through Darkwood. I can easily keep you safe as long as you listen to me and don't do anything stupid. Besides, as long as that troll is still dead there really shouldn't be too much danger between here and the Ancient Cullis Gate."

"You have trolls too? Nuh-uh. I'm not going."

Connor threw his head back and sighed heavily. He bit the inside of his lip and took five loud breaths before looking back at Natalie, "Look, I don't need to do anything for you. I'm not getting paid for this. I wanted to make sure you were alright and it looks like you are. You can stay here and live forever in Oakvale for all I care. You're the one who wants to get home and the only way to do that is to go back to the Ancient Cullis Gate and figure out how to activate it again. So are you coming or am I going on my merry way to see if I can get some actual work done?"

Natalie shrunk away from him, shamefully looking away and playing with her thumb nail. After a moment's thought she sheepishly looked back up at Connor's stern look. "Alright, I trust that you'll keep me safe."

She winced as she pushed herself off the boulder. Connor reached down and grabbed her elbow, helping her to her feet. She caught his large emerald eyes for a moment before quickly breaking his gaze. "And, thank you for donating your time. I'm sorry I can't pay you."

"Yeah, alright, let's just go." They walked in silence as they walked up to a circular stone set in to the ground to the right of the path. It looked like a very simplistic version of the Ancient Cullis Gate. No elevated platform, no stairs, no large arching pillars, no stone inlay, and even the circular stone itself was only the size of the blue center disc of the Ancient Cullis Gate. The rune-like markings that were on the Earth's cullis gate were etched in to this stone. Each marking glowed purple and a faint blue glow shone from the stone, like sparkles constantly birthing from the etchings and then fading from existence as they floated about seven feet up from the ground.

Connor pointed to the stone, "This is just one of many cullis gates set throughout Albion. This is how I brought you here when you were injured. Fastest and safest way to travel."

"Then why don't those merchants use these gates if it's such a fast and safe alternative?"

"Only Heroes can use them. At one point nearly everyone could, but the knowledge of how soon faded with each generation. Now only Will users such as those trained by the Heroes Guild can tap in to the magic that make the cullis gates work. It does make it easier for us to make a quick retreat when greatly injured, or make it to people in need of help faster."

"So you guys can use magic here? Like, real magic? Not just illusions and parlor tricks?"

Connor uneasily looked at Natalie before looking around to make sure no one else was around. "Although everyone knows that Heroes can use Will to cast spells, most people are still scared of the practice. Too many Heroes went rogue with the power and used it to tyrannize the citizens. However, it is very handy. Here, watch."

Connor pulled Natalie back as he stepped away from the cullis gate. He wrapped his arm around her and ushered her behind him and out of the way. He then raised his left hand so it was slightly above his head. With a few small twists of his wrist a fireball began to form just above his fingertips. Natalie's eyes and jaw widened as the ball became larger and larger. Once it was the size of a softball he threw his arm forward. The fireball followed his arm's movements and launched forward as if he had thrown it. The fire exploded against a rock and harmlessly disappeared.

"Alright, that was amazing," Natalie breathed with a nervous laugh.

Connor turned to look at her with amazement. "You're not scared?"

Natalie smiled and shook her head. "What else can you do?"

Connor smiled, "Go hide somewhere. Some place where you'll be protected but can still see me, alright?"

Natalie quickly glanced around before running through the broken part of a nearby fence and hid behind a tree. She poked her head back out, "Is this alright?"

Connor turned to see where she had run off to and his smile instantly vanished. His face paled and his eyes darted all over the unseeded garden Natalie hid in.

"Connor?" She walked out from behind the tree and hit behind a nearby scarecrow instead. "Are you alright?"

Connor whipped away from the garden and headed towards a stone archway that signaled the entrance to Oakvale. "Come on, we'll want to hit the Ancient Cullis Gate before nightfall. Darkwood is dark enough while the sun is still up."

Natalie watched Connor place a hand on the stone archway and longingly caress the polished edge before passing through. "Connor, wait up!" She sprinted after him, slowing to eye up the archway to see if she could detect what was so sentimental about it.

They walked in silence along a dirt path among the thick trees. Natalie kept motioning to start a sentence to break the tension, but words never escaped her lips. Soon the soft gargle of a brook pierced through the quiet, and then murmurs were audible. The canopy broke way to the brilliant sun as they stepped out in to a small field beside a crystal brook. The path was lined with nomadic merchant tents, each gypsy calling out to Connor for his business. A few girls about Natalie's age ran up to Connor and swooning over him. Natalie cocked her head to the side and watched as the girls blatantly shoved her away from him and each fought the others for a date with the brave hero.

"I guess Heroes are like celebrities here," Natalie mused to herself.

She casually followed Connor and his groupies as he continued down the road toward Darkwood. As they reached a bridge a few yards before an ominous-looking stone archway the girls whined that Connor should stay with them. He pardoned himself and explained that he promised to escort Natalie. She jumped as the girls swung around to glare at her. With an awkward smile and uneasy sideways steps, Natalie pressed herself against the bridge banister and slid past the mob. Once she had Connor behind her creating a barrier between herself and the women she jogged ahead to the Darkwood archway, passing another rather ornate cullis gate on her left.

Connor waved to the women and softly chuckled as he caught up to the waiting Natalie. "A little intimidated by those girls?" He gave another silent laugh as Natalie scrunched her nose and pouted. "Alright, well, come along then. Just remember to listen to my every order and stay behind me."

Natalie nodded and cautiously followed him through the gate. The archway was carved in to the entrance of a cave. It was narrow but straight. Although the sun almost instantly vanished, the mountain tunnel was still short enough that light from the opposite end still shown as a beacon for the other end.

As they exited the sky became overcast and hazy. The sun tried to force its light through the clouds, but only managed to create an eerie orange glow along the horizon. The trees were ancient, black, and bare. The hill they were on had a quaint fence running along the ledge, and there was a vista of the rest of the weir below. The water was diverted to the point where small islands arose and the water was shallow enough to wade through. The view must have been breathtakingly beautiful once upon a time, back when the trees were lush and the sky wasn't hazed over.

Connor moved cautiously ahead, checking for creatures and bandits as he moved forward. The two of them slowly crept through the marsh before reaching a large stone staircase leading up to the road to the Ancient Cullis Gate. A few more feet down the road Connor held up his left arm to stop Natalie dead in her tracks. He motioned for her to stay and crept forward, his sword drawn.

Natalie wasn't sure what was wrong at first, but soon she heard the sound of gargled grunts and baritone chirps. Connor shot his spare hand forward and a blue arch of lightning shot from his fingertips. The chirps became louder and angrier. More and more joined in as a chorus. Connor slowly retreated, shooting more lightning at his opponents before rushing in to slay them with his sword. He continued this tactic until the whole mess of the strange beings were dead and he waved for Natalie to join him again.

Although she knew it would make her sick to concentrate on the massacre Connor just participated in, Natalie also couldn't resist looking at the fatally wounded bodies scattered along the murky ground. The creatures were short, only about three feet tall. They were plump, easily pushing two-hundred pounds. They appeared bloated and with white skin, giving them the look of being drowned and left in the water for days. Some suffered killing blows from Connor's sword; others were charcoaled from his lightning. Natalie choked down some bile.

"Hobbes," Connor shook his head, "disgusting creatures. Legend says they were once lost children transformed by the dark forces of the nymphs. Not sure if I believe that, but I do know that they eat humans and tend to still kidnap children. Worse than any beast I know." He spat on one of the corpses and crossed over a small bridge.

He shuffled forward, one hand ready to attack any more hobbes or any bandits waiting for them. His back hand signaling for Natalie to cautiously follow, but poised to halt her instantly if needed. Luckily, the road seemed to still be clear from the night before.

As they rounded a curve in the wide dirt road one of the arching pillars of the Ancient Cullis Gate came in to view. They crept towards the bridge Natalie first saw the bandits on the day before. She swung the pouch containing her clothing to her front and clutched it tight against her chest.

The clearing was empty save for the Ancient Cullis Gate proudly on display in the center. Circling the gate, starting and ending at the bride, were stone walls and pillars. Solidifying Natalie's belief that the gate was once housed inside a building of sorts that had all but been torn down over the years.

"It seems safe for now," Connor put his sword away and motioned for Natalie to stand beside him. "The woods tend to be safer during the day when the balverines aren't on the prowl."

Natalie scanned their surroundings, still feeling weary of the area. Something did surprise her as she looked at the Ancient Cullis Gate. "I thought you said I was only out for about a day."

"You were," Connor gave her a questioning glance before walking up to the gate.

"Then-" Natalie clutched her bag closer and followed him to the steps of the gate, "then what happened to the bandits you killed?"

Connor seemed taken aback by the question, as if he hadn't noticed the absence of their bodies. He scanned the area he slew them the day before and shrugged, "The balverines and hobbes tend to take care of the corpses in Albion. It's certainly an ill-fate to not be buried right away. Guess I just never thought of it before." He shrugged, "But no matter. Let's see how to get you home, yeah?"

Natalie nodded and climbed up on to the Ancient Cullis Gate. Connor joined her, and walked around the platform, inspecting it. After a moment he grabbed her shoulders and gently moved her so she was standing dead center over the center plate of the gate. Another quick inspection to verify he had everything set properly, and then he walked back off the gate.

"Alright," he crossed one arm across his chest and leaned his other on it, his hand nestling his chin. "When I use cullis gates I just stand on them – as you are right now – and focus my Will. It's a lot easier when one is a Hero and is trained to tap in to one's Will with but a thought. I'm not entirely sure how a non-Will-User can activate a gate. So I suppose that means you must have the ability to use Will somewhere inside. Perhaps you just can't tap it because your world never taught you how. What did you do to activate the one on your planet?"

Natalie thought deeply about what she did. "I honestly don't know," she finally confessed, "I cleaned all the weeds off it. I circled it to get a good look of every inch. I stood on it and wondered what it was I discovered, and then the blue lights brought me here."

"Perhaps your desire to know what you found was your Will demonstrating the answer?" Connor tapped his foot and scrunched his face, attempting to find the best direction for Natalie. "Try clearly picturing in your head your home. The gate you used to get here, the woods you found it in, your grandparents' home, the town it was in. Everything. Capture everything in a very clear image in your mind."

Natalie took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She did everything Connor instructed her to do. She held in her head the image of her standing on the gate, nestled among the untouched forest just outside her grandparents' estate. She pictured herself climbing off the gate, running through the woods, reaching the back door of her home, throwing it wide open, and sprinting up to her bedroom where she would collapse on the soft, familiar bed. She pictured herself taking a warm shower, getting changed in to her own clothing, and then walking around her little hamlet.

As the smile noticeably grew across Natalie's lips Connor nodded, "Alright, now just will yourself there. Tell yourself that you will be there, that you are there, that there is nothing keeping you from being there. Believe it. Believe it with everything you have."

Natalie believed. She knew she managed to make it to this strange world without any effort, and so there was no reason she couldn't make the return trip. She pictured the lights activating around her and waited for the numbing sensation, knowing it would happen soon. "Goodbye, Connor," she called out without opening her eyes, "Thank you for everything." With another deep exhale she pictured herself get lighter, envisioning what it felt like to be teleported. She was confident that when she opened her eyes again she'd see the familiar orange of the fall-induced leaves.

"Natalie?" She slowly opened her eyes. Her head bolted upright and she swung around in circles, filled with disbelief.

"What is wrong with you? Why hasn't it worked yet?"

Natalie's body sank in disappointment. The Ancient Cullis Gate was still inactive and she was still staring at Connor in those dismal woods. "Hell, I don't know what I'm doing!" She called out to him.

"Did you do everything I told you, you twit?"

Natalie glared, "Yes. I pictured everything. I knew with all my heart I would make it back there. I envisioned myself teleporting home. I did everything and it still didn't work!"

"I don't think you tried hard enough," Connor huffed.

"Do you think I want to be here?"

"You did seem quite pleased with all of the teleporting and magic and junk." Connor started walking around the gate, again trying to figure out how to activate it.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"

"I don't think you actually believed in your heart of hearts that you could make it home." Connor nodded agreeance to his own statement, "That has to be it. You doubted yourself too much. Try it again. And do it right this time. I have better things to do."

Natalie followed Connor with a death glare, but it seemed ineffective. With a long snort out of her nostrils, like a bull readying to charge, she again closed her eyes, relaxed her body and pictured herself home.

They continued for over an hour. Connor constantly berating her for her lack of success and obvious lack of effort. Natalie refuting his claims and swearing she was doing the best she could; perhaps if she had someone who was better at giving direction she'd be home already.

"I give up," Natalie collapsed on to the gate. "I'm tired and this just isn't working! We have to find another way."

"Well, hell if I know what that would be. Try again."

"I've tried over two dozen times! I can't get it to work! Help me! You activate it!"

"How am I supposed to activate it? No one in Albion has made this thing work in over a millennia."

Natalie's eyes grew wide; her breath became shallow as her eyes welled up. Her shoulders gently heaved in silent sobs.

"Natalie? Natalie, are you alright?" Connor raced up on to the gate and kneeled in front of her, holding her shoulders.

Choking down a sob, Natalie slowly matched his gaze; her chocolate-brown eyes glazed over with a sheen of tears. "What if this gate can't be activated on this side? What if I can't use it to return home?"

"Oh, bloody hell." Connor collapsed in front of Natalie, just as dazed and lost as she was.


	4. Chapter 4

"Alright, let's go." Natalie slowly raised her gaze. Connor stood with renewed resolve and held out his hand. "If the Ancient Cullis Gate can't take you home it's time to find someone who knows what can."

Natalie softly nodded and accepted Connor's help to her feet. He reached in to his utility pouch and pulled out a large disc that was almost too large for his hand. It resembled a stylized compass and covered in gold filigree. The center had an intricate design of two blue stones encased in points connected by an s-shaped line.

Connor caught Natalie examining the object. "This is how I teleport to cullis gates when I'm not by an active one. It's a Guild Seal and every Hero receives one upon graduation. It channels our will to help us focus on the beacon of the cullis gate we wish to travel to. The seal design is supposed to symbolize what it's meant for." He pointed to the two blue stones, "These represent active cullis gates; since they glow blue when active and within ten feet of a Guild Seal." He then traced the connecting line with his finger, "And this represents how the two are magically connected through Will."

"Is this how we're going to find someone who can help me?"

"Hopefully. Now, please pardon me for what I must do, but there isn't that large of a range when it comes to teleporting." He wrapped his arm around Natalie's waist and pulled her in close to his chest. She gulped and looked away from him as she gently blushed. "You ready? It's going to feel a bit weird for those not used to it."

"I'm ready," she squeaked and instantly cleared her throat.

One of the blue stones on the Guild Seal began to glow. A high pitched, but not unpleasant, chime began to resonate from the seal as the blue glow traveled along the curved line to the other blue stone. As the blue glow traveled across the seal the same blue glow that had surrounded Natalie when she first teleported to Gyateara encased the duo. Natalie felt her body tingle and go numb as it did before. Once the second stone on the seal lit up both Connor and Natalie were blinded by the intense light for a few seconds before the light again faded.

Natalie blinked her vision back as the blue lights became a gentle glow at her feet. Connor released his tight but gentle grip on her and she rolled out of his arms. They were standing on a blue platform that was barely large enough for them to both stand. Through the blue glow she could see the same etching as the Guild Seal design. The platform was tucked away in a tiny round room only a few feet wider than the pedestal itself. Straight ahead was a doorless archway that lead to a large room with a huge map table in the center of it.

"Come on," Connor nonchalantly walked out in to the large room. It kept Natalie a moment to get her legs to move. The tingly numb feeling still lingered in her extremities, although her core began to regain feeling.

"Welcome back, my boy." An older gentleman with a British accent kindly greeted Connor as the two of them exited the tiny cullis gate room. The man was bald, but with an intricate blue tattoo of the Guild Seal on his forehead. His bushy mustache, day-old stubble, and eyebrows were all white. His cheeks and eyes were heavily wrinkled but with a kindness. His clothes had a simple elegance to them. His pants and shirt looked comfortable and loose enough to fight in if the need arose, but he also wore a fancy blue and gold chest plate along with a fancy blue mid-calf coat with gold trim. "And who might this charming young woman be?" The man held out his palm. When she accepted his gesture the old man leaned in to kiss her knuckles. She again blushed and darted her eyes between Connor and the older gentleman.

Picking up on the hint, Connor cleared his throat. "Natalie, I'd like to introduce the Guildmaster. He is in charge of the training for every Hero recruit that resides here."

"Ah yes, that is true," the Guildmaster released Natalie's hand and stood proudly erect. He placed a hand on Connor's shoulder and patted it a few times. "However, I have to say this young lad has a special place in my heart. I may have doubted him at first, but he's more than proven his worth and I had never been prouder to admit I was wrong. There is definitely something very special about you, boy."

Connor averted his eyes and cleared his throat again. "Anyway, I brought Natalie here for a very specific reason. You see, she isn't from around here." Once Connor knew he had the Guildmaster's attention he leaned in close to prevent eavesdropping. "She claims she's not even from Gyateara. And I'm afraid I might be inclined to believe her."

"Not from our planet?" The Guildmaster's face grew hard and serious. When Connor nodded the older gentleman whipped his head around to take a closer look at Natalie. He rushed her, and grabbed her shoulders, startling her. "You have traveled to Albion from beyond Gyateara?" Natalie leaned as far away from the Guildmaster as she could while still in his grip. She nervously nodded. "Fascinating," the man muttered before his gaze focused on her neck.

With a gentle tug he started pulling Natalie closer to him, eyeing up the chain of her necklace. "My dear, by any chance are you wearing a medallion or charm of sorts?" Natalie again nervously nodded. The Guildmaster's eyes darted to meet hers before again standing at attention within an instant. Dropping his grip on Natalie, he held out his hand. "May I?"

Natalie gave Connor a concerned look and waited for him to nod that it was alright. She pulled on the chain, untucking the pink stone from under the shirt. Refusing to take the necklace off again, she leaned forward so the stone lay in the Guildmaster's hand.

The old man delicately brought the charm up to his face for a closer inspection. He spun it gently between his fingers, looking at every angle, and then tapped the stone to listen to it resonating. "No. No, this can't be. Can it?"

Natalie glanced at Connor, who shrugged and shook his head. The Guildmaster continued examining her necklace and muttering incoherently to himself.

Abruptly, the Guildmaster dropped Natalie's stone and rushed through a doorway on the opposite side of the room.

Once again Connor shrugged at Natalie and motioned for her to follow. The doorway the Guildmaster went through lead in to an elaborate library with finely crafted floor to ceiling mahogany shelves packed with leather-bound books. Chandeliers hung every few feet, keeping the room well-lit. Natalie was hit with the smell of leather, dust, and musky paper – a common sent of libraries, long since forgotten by modern society.

The Guildmaster was already at the other end of the long library, turning a corner to go up a narrow staircase tucked behind one of the bookshelves. As Connor and Natalie reached the top of the stairwell, the Guildmaster sat at an old oak desk. Open in front of him was a large tome that easily weighed ten pounds. The pages were darkened by ages of dust, and the edges were yellowed and torn. The Guildmaster was hurriedly reading from the book, delicately flipping through the worn pages.

"Guildmaster?" Connor ventured. The older man sat silent and focused on his task. A minute passed before Connor tried again.

"I knew it!" Connor and Natalie both jumped at the old man's sudden proclamation, knocking his chair out from under him as he abruptly stood. With a heave, he swiveled the book so it would face the duo. After excitedly waving them over to the desk, he started tapping a passage and reading before they reached him.

"One hundred years after a false hope is born, the true saviors of Albion shall arrive. One shall be a strong warrior, driven by an honorable bloodline. One shall be a unique seer from beyond Gyateara, returning the Key to salvation. Alone, neither can conquer the evil tempting the greatest of Heroes; instead creating the further ruin of Albion. Together, their combined strength shall banish the greatest threat Gyateara has ever known."

"Is this why I've been treated so differently here?" Connor's voice became harsh and throaty. "Is this why you've taken such a taking to me? Because I'm one of these fated saviors? Is that it? Is that why you've kept me around?" He angrily grasped the Guildmaster's robe and wrinkled it in his tight grip.

"Connor! Connor, what is wrong with you? Calm down!" Natalie rushed to his side and placed her hands on his arm, trying to pull him off the old man.

"You don't understand. You don't know what I went through as a child. The isolation. The severe training. Never having even a hint of a childhood. Constantly referred to only as 'The Chosen One' without ever knowing why. Is this why, Guildmaster? Is this why my life has been nothing more than the training of a soldier?"

Natalie focused on Connor's mouth, and the fang-like eye-teeth she didn't notice before. His eyes began to well as he spit out his hate filled words. His muscles tensed to the point that Natalie felt his veins through his shirt. She soon realized it was pointless to try to pull Connor's arm away. There was no hope of her being close to strong enough.

"Why didn't I know of this before? Why couldn't I have known? Why didn't you say anything to me?"

The Guildmaster remained stoic and unblinking. He allowed Connor to spit words in his face and lift him off the ground. Although he tried his hardest to hide all form of emotion, Natalie thought there was a faint look of regret in his eyes.

"I never referred to you as 'The Chosen One'," the Guildmaster finally stated, "That was the work of the other instructors here. I took no part in it and I tried to keep you from such a nomicure. Yes, Maze brought up significant points that suggested you were the prophesized warrior, but there was no true proof. I did not want a destiny that wasn't yours to be a weight you had no need to carry. I wanted you to become the man you wished to become."

"I wanted to be normal! There was no way I could come close with all the pressure you all put on me!"

"You never wanted normalcy," Natalie jumped at the deepness of the Guildmaster's voice when he finally raised it. "You wanted revenge!"

Connor took a wobbly step back after dropping the Guildmaster, who ignored the inches he fell. Natalie kept her hands on Connor's arm as he slowly dropped them to his side. Her eyes darted between the two men as the Guildmaster continued berating the young Hero.

"You were the one who isolated yourself. You were the one who pushed yourself harder than the other apprentices. You were the one who locked yourself away in the library, chewing through as many of the books as you could. That was not us. That was not the prophecy. That was your own drive to avenge your family and your home!"

Natalie let go of Connor and stepped away from him. Her eyes were wide as she frantically scanned any evidence that he was alone in the world. She had only known him for a few hours, but the news was still shocking. "Connor?" She stepped between the men and tried to catch the Hero's gaze. "Connor, what is he talking about? What happened to you?"

He looked over Natalie's head and burned his gaze in to the Guildmaster, "That's not important. None of that is important now. What matters is finding a way to get you home."

"But-" Natalie wanted to go home, but could she really ignore everything she was just told?

"That is why we came here. Not to hear about some stupid prophecy about saving this forsaken land. Not to talk about my past. If the Guildmaster can't help send you home we'll find someone else."

"Connor-" She tried to take his hands to help calm him, but he whipped them away from her and took a step back towards the stairs.

"There is a possibility," the Guildmaster softened his voice and directed his attention at Natalie. "However, there is no guarantee it will work. Regardless, it seems you may be here for a little while, my dear."

"No!" Connor grabbed Natalie's arm and pulled her behind him, his spare hand threatening his former mentor. "She's not staying here. I will find another way to get her back to her planet. You are not dragging her in to this. She doesn't belong here and these are not her problems."

Natalie whipped her arm away, "That's enough! We have no other leads as far as I know. I want to hear what he has to say. You don't decide for me as much as he doesn't decide for you." Calmer, she turned towards the Guildmaster, "What do I need to do?"

"Your charm," the Guildmaster pointed to Natalie's necklace. She instinctively grasped it and pressed it to her chest protectively. "If I am not mistaken, that stone is one of the Key Jewels of Destiny."

"Oh, brother." Connor rolled his eyes and walked to the stairs.

Natalie glared before walking over to the desk and sat next to the book, "Please continue."

"When the world was created, the Four Sisters left a sign of their love in the form of a sword said to determine the fate of all of Albion."

"Four Sisters?" Natalie interrupted.

"The supposed sister goddesses that created Gyateara," Connor sarcastically explained from the landing.

"They were afraid their gift would be misused," the Guildmaster continued, "and so they locked it away and then each created a jewel to use as keys for the sword's resting place. They decreed that only the being that had all of their blessings would be the sword's true owner, and then each gifted her jewel to one she felt worthy. Upon death of the previous owner, the jewel would search for the next to receive its goddess's blessing. The process will continue until all four goddesses agreed on one person and then he or she will receive all four stones."

Connor loudly yawned as he sat on the top step of the stairwell. "Weren't you leaving?" Natalie shot back before returning her attention to the Guildmaster.

"Nearly a century ago a great villain discovered a way to steal these jewels in order to usurp ownership of the great sword. He was close to succeeding as well, if it weren't for a small troupe of warriors. They called themselves The Protectors of Albion and swore to stop this man's evil quest. They managed to get the jewels away from the villain, but at the cost of most of their lives.

"No one knows what happened to three of the jewels, but the Jewel of Love-"

Connor groaned in the corner. The Guildmaster cleared his throat and continued, "The Jewel of Love had been stolen away from the villain by a nymph. When the evil man killed her she used the last of her magic to shatter the jewel, creating a meteor shower of the shards that all of Albion could witness."

The Guildmaster tapped Natalie's charm, "And I believe, my dear, that the stone used as your charm is one of those shards."


	5. Chapter 5

The Guildmaster wanted to better emphasize the importance of Natalie's necklace and asked that she and Connor followed him to the Chamber of Fate. It had taken a little while for Natalie to be able to calm Connor down and get him to listen to what the Guildmaster had to say. They were then lead back down in to the library where the Guildmaster pressed a hidden switch on the side of one of the bookshelves. Two of the ceiling-high shelves grinded against the floor as loud mechanisms moved them out of the way, revealing a large arching doorway.

A few feet past the bookshelf doors the stone walls gave way to the raw stone of the ancient cave protected by the Heroes Guild. Natalie whistled as she walked through the tall cavern. The sound eerily echoed with their footsteps. The cave was infused with shining quartz that created multiple baby rainbows by the light of the torches built in to the cave walls.

There was an emptiness to the cavern. A sadness to it. A sense that something divine touched the ground and carved the tunnel out of the stone. It was clear that very few human hands interacted with the cavern. Aside from the torches, nothing had been added.

"Down this way, children," the Guildmaster stood by a tunnel offshoot waving Natalie and Connor in the direction it lead.

"I remember where I'm going," Connor huffed past the Guildmaster. Natalie quickly followed, giving the Guildmaster an apologetic look as she neared.

Connor continued to stomp ahead of the group. The tunnel slowly narrowed until the roof of the cavern was only eight feet above them, and the walls were only about six feet apart from each other. After a minute or two of walking, Natalie noticed the end of the tunnel blocked by two arching wooden doors.

Connor walked up to the large doors and placed his palm against the stained wood. With a somberness to him, he slowly pulled his hand away, his fingers curling as he lingered the tips. Finally, his hands curled completely in to fists as he looked away from the doors.

"Connor?" Natalie placed a hand on his shoulder; he shrugged it off. "Is something wrong?"

"Do you truly hate The Guild so much now?" The Guildmaster walked around them and placed a hand on the handle, keeping his eyes locked on Connor.

"The Guild is just a means to an end," Connor spoke matter-of-factly, "It always has been."

"Yes," The Guildmaster hung his head and his voice was barely above a whisper, "As I said before. We did not make you who you are today. You did. But perhaps we weren't entirely wrong about you, boy. Will you be willing to step up to your destiny if it proves true?"

"My only concern is returning Natalie to her home. Once I've completed that quest I shall continue the way I always have – finding the raiders who attacked my village. Your prophesies mean nothing to me." Connor refused to look at the Guildmaster, but now he was also avoiding Natalie's questioning glances of pity.

"I always feared you responding such," the Guildmaster shook his head before straightening his back and regaining a hard composure. "No matter. The lady still wishes to know her destiny and the role she plays in Albion's fate. Follow us in if you feel inclined."

The Guildmaster turned the handle and opened the thick door. A long, narrow, stone bridge stretched out before them. The ground quickly transitioned from the dirt path of the cave to large titles lining the bridge. The walls of the bridge only reached about hip-high, but every few feet there was a pillar that stretched up to roughly six-feet tall. A candle sat in each of the pillars, creating a well-lit walk to the matching door archway on the other side of the bridge. The cave floor was undetectable from the bridge, but Natalie did hear a faint sound of rushing water. The sides and ceiling of the cave were now so distant that the bridge was seemingly hanging in a dark void.

The Guildmaster started across the bridge, but Natalie lingered behind with Connor. "Raiders invaded your home? Is that what happened to your family?" Connor turned his head further from her and walked across the bridge. With a sad sigh Natalie followed behind.

The Guildmaster didn't hesitate in opening the other set of doors as soon as he reached them. Connor followed through wordlessly. Natalie, on the other hand, lingered at the entrance way. The smooth stone of the doorway arch was a complete contrast to the raw, rough stone that made up the cavern walls. On either side of the archway was a different stained glass window. To the left was a man with white hair, a halo, and butterflies surrounding him. To the right was a man with long, demon like horns, long, flowing black hair, and a swarm of flies. There was something odd about the faces of the angel and demon. They looked like two completely different creatures, but their faces looked almost identical. Natalie mused about it for a second before brushing it off as the limitations of stained glass artwork.

Just inside the doors was a narrow brick-lined hallway opening up in to a large rotunda. A round platform took up most of the floor, slowly increasing in height by three steps, a landing, and another three steps. On the fourth landing – twelve steps from the floor – there was a nine-foot wide Guild Seal etched in to the marble tiling. The rounded walls were covered in large fresco murals of the great deeds of past Heroes.

Connor walked up to one of the murals and stared. When Natalie approached him he quickly turned away and continued following the Guildmaster. Natalie turned to look at the mural he had focused on. The fresco was terrifying and bloody. The upper corner depicted bandits watching a peaceful, sleepy town. The rest of the upper third of the painting had that same town on fire, the streets stained in blood. The blood trickled down the painting, creating the backdrop for the remainder of the horror. A wall of flame cut a line through the mural, separating the town scenes in the upper third from the rest of the image. Overlaying the flames and blood were the bandits in their bloody glory, running people through, decapitating them, stabbing women with spears, and shadows running around with torches in their hands.

In the center of the violence, a man in a simple brown and green tunic, with short brunette hair was drawn with more detail than the other victims. He was shown in his failed attempt to fight back with an ax, a bandit's sword through his chest. The same man was drawn again in the lower right corner, lying mortally wounded beside an anguished woman and a small girl. A man in form fitting platemail and a red cloak had the terrified girl in his one hand, and a bloody knife in the other. The woman was forced to kneel beside the villain as she called out for the violence to stop.

There was something different about this woman and the others that were in the painting. This woman, much like the slain man, had much more detail than the rest. Her outfit also seemed more fitting for fighting back. She wore a vest as a shirt, elbow-length leather gloves, shorts, thigh-high leather boots, and the exposed portion of her legs were covered in bandages. The pre-teen girl had just as much detail as the man and woman. Her clothes were torn and bloody; she must have put up a good fight before getting caught. Her hands were clutching her eyes, and Natalie instantly knew where the blood on the armored man's knife came from.

The woman and girl showed up again on the left side of the mural. The girl still clutched her face as a bandit carried her over his shoulder. The woman, still screaming, was bound and dragged behind another bandit. The center of the mural pushed the blood out of the way with a line of trees. Hiding in the painted forest was a boy mournfully watching his village burn to the ground.

Natalie spun around and watched Connor walk to the opposite side of the room. Her heart sank and she again took hold of her stone. She said a small prayer for her hero before somberly walking to the door the Guildmaster was standing beside. As she reached the Guild Seal she turned to get another quick glance at the mural of the town raid.

The Guildmaster fished his pocket for a large iron key. It had a highly ornate wrought iron bow and eight teeth creating the blade. The teeth beveled before curving back in, giving the full shape a spade silhouette. The Guildmaster blew dust out of the door's lock before inserting the key. With a loud click, he opened the door.

The new room was barely large enough to fit all three of them. A skylight was cut in to the ceiling, but the light penetrating through the glass didn't originate from the sun. It was too bright for Natalie to follow it to the source, but it spotlighted a pedestal centered in the room. A gold plated book rested on the intricately carved stone pedestal.

"Great, more books," Connor scoffed.

"This book is incredibly special, my lad," the Guildmaster scolded, "It holds some of Albion's and Gyateara's oldest legends and greatest mysteries." Connor rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall. "Please, follow me," the Guildmaster extended his hand for Natalie.

When she accepted, he walked her up to the pedestal and flipped through the large tome. The script was beautiful, the lettering ornate, the mini illustrations were intricate, and the borders were masterfully designed. The entire book resembled an illuminated bible. To the people of Albion, it might as well have been.

Flipping through the first chunk of pages, Natalie caught glimpses of Gyateara being formed, the goddesses creating the master sword, and then creating four jewels to gift to their favored creature. The Guildmaster stopped at a splash page depicting two stones on the left, and two stones on the right.

"These are the Key Jewels that the Four Sisters created before leaving our world." The Guildmaster pointed to the first one on the left page. It was a vibrant garnet cut like a flame. A gold trim grew from the base and at the tip of the stone extended in to a slight curve. "The eldest sister Dryea is the Goddess of Power. She rules over the realm of fire and the cardinal direction of south. She first created the world with her powerful flames."

He then pointed to the second jewel on the page. It was a golden three-point spiral with a small, circular sapphire nestled in the nook of each spiral's arm. "The second sister Maynor is the Goddess of Wisdom, the west, and water. She wisely cooled the world with her soothing rain and flooded the land, creating the bodies of water we survive on."

Connor, newly intrigued, inched towards them, but was careful to not be noticed. The Guildmaster continued by pointing to the first stone on the right page of the book. It was an amber triangle with sharp, golden boarders. "This jewel was created by the third sister Krysum. She rules over plant life, the ground, cardinal north, and courage. Her courage to stand up against her sisters and drain some of Maynor's water grew the grass, trees, flowers, and crops."

"Really? Her courage to stand up to her sisters? Boy, what a stretch," Connor huffed and leaned against the wall again; attempting to not sound remotely impressed. Natalie glared her response.

The Guildmaster remained undeterred, "The one we are most concerned about is this one." He tapped the last illustration. It was a heart-shaped gemstone with a gold trim along the right edge. Even in the faded pages of the old tome the stone's color perfectly matched Natalie's necklace. "This is the Jewel of Love-" The Guildmaster was interrupted by Connor snorting down a laugh. With a loud sigh through his nostrils, the Guildmaster continued. "This jewel was crafted by the youngest goddess Alrea. She was small and meek compared to her older sisters, but her strength was her love and innocence. She didn't bicker with her siblings, instead she gathered up small pieces of each creation her sisters made and gently molded them all together in to the first man. Using her wind she breathed life in to him and instructed him to protect the world her sisters created. The gesture calmed her quarreling sisters and they begged her to continue. She soon crafted all the creatures of Gyateara."

The Guildmaster walked past Natalie and pushed a button that was on the wall. A mirror slowly lowered from beside the skylight, the grind of a rarely used pulley system resonated. Soon the mirror was in position and refracted the light so it showcased a fresco painted across the back wall of the room.

The scene was almost as gory as the one Connor looked at before. The bottom of the mural had blood and corpses evident of a mighty battle. A heavily armored man had the blade of his ax embedded in the back of a young man in studded leather, his long hair flying free of the ribbon securing it back. The triangular Jewel of Courage flew out of the dying man's hands with a yellow stream of light. On the opposite side of the mural, another young man in white and blue robes wasn't fairing much better. He was run through by five phantom blades, the white light directing the swords attached to the hands of an older man dressed in a black variation of the robes. The dying man's arms were directed above his head as the Jewel of Wisdom flew from his grasp in a blue light. In the center of the mural was a horrifyingly large man. His thick, spiked, black plate mail covered every inch of him except his head. His skin was a dark brownish gray and his flame-red hair was tied back in curled cornrows secured in a jeweled halo that lead to a circular amethyst that rested on his forehead. His crimson cape flapped behind him as lightning shot from his hand. The bolt shot through the chest of a slender, brown skinned woman floating in the sky above the gargantuan man. Her long, flowing brunette hair spread out in a fan and her skimpy cloth toga had char marks. Her hands were pressed against her chest and the lightning bolt passed through them. Fifteen rose-pink jewel fragments hung in the air, creating a border across the top of the painting.

The Guildmaster sorrowfully walked over to the mural and gently touched the scene, "It was Alrea's stone that was shattered those [65 years] ago."

"Fantastic," Connor stepped up to the mural and slid between it and the Guildmaster, catching the old man's attention. "So her necklace is just part of this jewel that is supposed to unlock a powerful sword. How does this help return her home or help me get revenge?"

"Now that a lost piece of the gem has returned, perhaps we can finally recover the full jewel and be one step closer to restoring Albion to a time of peace," the Guildmaster calmly replied.

"And how are we to find the rest of the jewel, let alone restore it?" Connor crossed his arms in protest.

"That, I am not sure. I'd have to do more research on the subject. But don't you see, boy? This could be the key to restore Albion and rid the land of all the evil that lurks here."

"Fantastic plan, I'm glad we came here." Connor abruptly turned and headed for the door.

Natalie stepped in front of the blonde lad and spread her arms out to help block him. "This is the only lead we have to bring me home. Plus this jewel seems pretty important for the well-being of your country. How can you be so callus? Is finding out that you could be this warrior from the prophecy really so horrible? You seemed to have admired this man before he told you about that."

Connor placed a hand on Natalie's arm and gently shoved her out of his way, "You want to follow his cockamamie plan? Fine. You can stay here at the Guild, or he can find a way to put you up in Bowerstone. I'm not sticking around. I have my own quest that I want to finish."

"This is about that mural you looked at out there, isn't it?" Connor froze. "That little boy that was hiding from the raid in the woods. That was you, wasn't it?"

"Shut up," Connor softly spoke over his shoulder, "You don't know anything. I brought you to a safe location and you can figure out how to get home from here. I'm done protecting you. If you need my services again I suggest you find some gold."

"The man, woman and girl that are each in the painting twice, were they your family?"

Connor spun around and stormed over to Natalie. He got right in her face, but she didn't waver. She straightened her back and stared him down. "Shut. Up!" he shouted at her, "You don't know anything! You don't know anything about me or my family or even this damn world! So don't talk about it!"

"Connor!" The Guildmaster's voice boomed from the back of the room, startling the young duo. Connor looked up at the old man, shook his head, and stormed back out to the Chamber of Fate. The Guildmaster placed a hand on Natalie's shoulder. "Don't worry, my dear. We'll find a way to send you home. In the meantime, we can set up a bed for you to stay here."

Natalie watched Connor stomp through the Chamber and slam the door to the cave behind him. Her lungs quaked as she tried to calm herself. Perhaps she was better off without Connor as company anyway.


	6. Chapter 6

The Guildmaster gave Natalie the most private room he could manage. She still had a roommate, but at least it was better than the rest of the academy dorms where at least eight people were placed in the large rooms.

The Guildmaster had his other duties that he had to take care of, but every spare moment was spent studying up on the prophecy and the jewels. Meanwhile, Natalie's roommate Bridget showed her around the Guild grounds and brought her to practices.

Natalie was fascinated with the combat training the apprentices were taught. In the large field across the stream from the Guild's main building were three different training grounds. One was an archery range with both stable and moving scarecrow dummies. One was a large battle ring where the students trained in hand-to-hand combat. The one that fascinated Natalie the most was an area on a little island off to the side of the grounds.

The island itself was only a few yards wide, but it was the perfect out-of-the-way location for the residents to practice using magic. They called it using their Will, probably because they had to will something to happen in order for them to accomplish anything. However, Natalie read enough fantasy novels and watched enough fantasy movies to know they were casting magic.

The scarecrow dummies were set up in a semi-circle along the one edge of the island. They were enchanted to withstand any magical blast thrown at them, including fire and lightning. Natalie loved watching the target practices and seeing the different techniques the apprentices learned. Most used lightning, but there were also fire balls and hovering rocks pummeling the dummies.

Natalie also enjoyed the foyer of the Guild; the room with the giant map table where she first met the Guildmaster. The large table had a map of all of Albion. It turned out the country wasn't terribly large and there were only about seven major villages or cities. The rest of the country was overrun by the dark creatures that had ransacked the world. Some gypsy camps and merchant caravans scattered the main roads, but other than that the land was wild.

Whenever a citizen needed assistance with anything they would pay the Guildmaster a small hiring fee and then the amount of gold they'd be willing to pay the Hero for a job well done. The task would then be written down as a Quest Card and placed in one of multiple slots nestled in to the edge of the table. Each slot related to a different location in Albion. When a Quest Card was inserted in to a region's slot a light would glow on the table, alerting the Heroes of the locations the quests were needed in. Heroes could then select the Quest Cards they wished to take on. If they succeeded they would receive the reward the citizen had giving the Guild. If the Hero failed the Quest Card was replaced on the map and awaited another champion.

Natalie memorized the layout of Albion and the main quest locations. She started to notice the same handful of people returning to the Guild for even more assistance. She also noticed that the quest's morality was never questioned. The Heroes that graduated from the guild were little more than muscles for hire. One citizen would write up a Quest Card for assistance in defending his cargo from bandits and another would request help in stealing that same cargo. It was purely up to the Hero to decide who to defend.

Natalie also slowly grew as a sort of pet or mascot of the Guild. The apprentices and returning Heroes all slowly learned her name; although most still had no idea why a non-apprentice was permitted to stay in the dorms. She saw many Heroes rest up on the grounds, restock their supplies from the store, and collect a new Quest Card before returning to their lives as adventurers. In the two weeks since she had been transported to Gyateara, she never once saw Connor again.

"Hey, what's that?" Bridget flopped on to Natalie's bed. She was a huskier woman, but due to her love of melee as opposed to love of food. She prided herself in her strength and her ability to be able to out wrestle nearly every male apprentice at the Guild. She was from one of the northern villages and had a few tribal tattoos on her shoulders. She attempted to keep her brunette hair in a braid, but there were always stray locks that hung down her neck or in her face.

Natalie pulled her earbuds out, "It's my iPod. It's a way to listen to music." In an almost wistful voice she sighed, "I had forgotten it was in my pocket when I came here. The battery is going to die soon. Who knows when I'll be able to listen to any of this music again."

"You're able to magically keep a bard in that small stone?"

Natalie laughed, "Well, that's not exactly how it works. It's more like a super tiny music box that can play more than one song. Here." She placed the earbuds up to Bridget's ears and pressed play. She then stifled her laughter as Bridget made a face to the sounds of Jefferson Airplane. "This song just feels so fitting while I'm here." Natalie lied down and started singing, "When the pieces on the chessboard get up and tell you where to go. And you've had some kind of mushroom. And your mind is growing small. Go ask Alice; I think she'd know."

Bridget spun off the bed and grabbed Natalie's hand to help her upright again. "Come on. I have to meet Alistair at the archery range. It will do you good to do some training yourself. Get your mind off of not being home."

With a sigh, Natalie turned off her iPod and followed her roommate to the archery range. She had always wanted to learn how to shoot a bow, and with no further insight on how to restore the jewel to send her home she might as well keep herself occupied somehow.

The fall air was crisp, but the sun kept it from getting too cold out. Natalie was wearing the normal Guild Apprentice white and blue uniform. The clothes were loose enough to comfortably fight in and made of simple, thick cotton. The frayed edges of the pull-over hooded sweatshirt along with blue ropes pulling the fabric in by the joints both gave the look a native feel.

"Running a bit late, Bridget," a tall man stood next to the dirt circle where the archers take their position. His outfit matched the apprentice robes, except his was black and red – signaling his authority as an instructor. His hood was up; covering his face in shadow, but his day-old stubble was still visible across his chin.

"Sorry, sir, I wasn't paying attention to the time." Bridget hung her head and walked over to the rack where all the bows and arrows were stored.

The man's demeanor softened, "Well, good morning, Natalie. Will you be joining us in some archery today?"

Natalie shrugged, "Good morning, Alistair. I'm not terribly sure if I'll try it out. I've never shot a bow before.

"I think it's good practice for everyone to know how to shoot. Perhaps then more people would be able to defend themselves a bit easier. Then again, if everyone could defend ourselves than us Heroes would be out of jobs, so perhaps it's best if you don't learn." Alistair gave a hearty laugh before clearing his throat and turned his attention back to Bridget. "Alright, you know the drill. I will start the dummies and you are to gather as many points as you can within the minute. You receive more points for stronger shots, head shots, and shots on the farthest dummy. Are you ready?"

Bridget rolled her shoulders and stretched out her neck to loosen up. She nocked an arrow and nodded to her instructor, "Ready."

Alistair pulled a lever that started a pulley system. Four dummies traveled their set paths back and forth across the shooting range. "Alright then," he said, "Your time starts the moment you loosen your first arrow."

Bridget pulled the bow all the way back. She took deep, slow breaths and stared intently at the farthest dummy. The scarecrow rocked back and forth behind the terrain. Boulders and an uneven rock wall blocked it most of the time. Every once in a while, if you were patient, you could see the head and one of its arms sticking out. Bridget was indeed patient and waited for her opportunity to snipe. She released her string and the arrow shot forward, sticking dead center out of the dummy's head. Alistair instantly flipped a minute glass, alternating between watching her shoot – in order to tally her points – and watching the grains of sand trickle down to the bottom bulb of the glass.

Bridget's hands moved quickly to grab another arrow, nock it, take aim as she pulled back the bow, and fire a second time. Right in the heart of the second farthest dummy, the strength of the fire knocked the straw body backwards. Another arrow, this time in the eye socket of that same poor dummy. The next one pierced the farthest dummy again. A few quick shots back in to the chest of the second farthest, and a final arrow released at the back dummy before Alistair called time.

He stopped the dummies in their tracks and walked over to tally Bridget's aim. He then determined the strength of the shots based on how hard it was to retrieve her arrows. With a small nod he returned the ammo to the quiver. "Very good, Bridget. You haven't surpassed our current high score, but you did manage a high grade yourself. You have a B-plus. You should be proud. Be careful of your aiming though. If those were real bandits a lot of those shots would have only pierced their shoulders. It would be a hindrance, for sure, but by no means deadly. They would have time to catch up to you and battle you in hand-to-hand. Yes, that is your best class of combat, but you cannot always rely on it. If you use the arrow it should be for a ranged kill. Sprites won't be kind enough to come down from the sky in order to fight. They'll send their hobbes or lightning or erupt thorns from the ground. They're also not the only ones you have to worry about. There may also come a time where you need to sneak in to a bandit camp. If you miss the kill you give the villain a chance to alert your intrusion. Keep these in mind."

Bridget hung her head slightly, "Yes, sir."

Bridget motioned to return her weapon when Alistair stopped her, "Natalie, are you sure you don't wish to at least try the stationary dummies? Archery is a good workout, helps clear the mind, and is a good way to stay self-sufficient. Even if you never use it for combat, you can still use it to hunt in order to avoid hunger."

"No, really, I've never shot before and I'll just make a fool of myself, I'm sure." Natalie took a step or two back from the range.

"Come on," Bridget held out the bow, "No one will judge you here. It really is quite enjoyable. It will take your mind off of your home, even for a little while."

Natalie looked at her roommate and then the instructor. Both were practically pleading for her to try with their sad faces. She tried to resist some more, but every time she opened her mouth no words escaped. With a heavy sigh she threw up her arms, "Fine, if it will get you two off my back about it."

"Very good," Alistair smiled and motioned for her to take her position in the circle. "We'll start you out right next to the gate so you don't have to worry about force as much."

Natalie felt like a small child, but still accepted the bow Bridget held out to her. She had watched enough movies to know the basics of archery, and that calmed her a bit. Taking a deep breath, she nocked the arrow and attempted to pull the string back. As she did, the arrow tip began to drift away from the grip of the bow. Natalie blushed as she heard Bridget stifle a laugh. She readjusted the arrow and again pulled the string back, only for the tip to drift up her arm again. Frustrated, she dropped the bow to her side and stomped, "That's it. I'm not cut out for this. This is stupid!"

Alistair calmly walked up behind her and placed his hands on her arms. With little struggle on Natalie's part, Alistair directed her arms back in to a firing position. As she began to pull the string back again, he placed his hand on her shoulder to stop her. Wordlessly, he walked to her side and gently tugged on her left index finger. With her finger extended, the arrow head rested in the groove where her thumb connected. Natalie gave a soft snort, frustrated that she hadn't thought to do just that. She then continued to pull the string as far back as she could. Her arm began to shake from the tension and her muscles were already getting sore. Alistair walked back behind her and adjusted the fingers on her right hand.

"You only hold the string with the first segment of these two fingers," he calmly stated, tapping her right index and middle finger. "Hold the string with more than that and it takes too long to release. Also, you could slice your fingers with the string. Use the two remaining fingers to both hold back the string and hold the arrow securely in the middle at your nock-point. Use the index finger of your left hand as an arrow rest and a sight. Remember to move it out of the way as soon as you release the arrow, otherwise you'll injure yourself as the arrow flies past, and you might affect the arrow trajectory. You understand all of this?"

Natalie nodded, trying desperately to still hold back the string with just the two fingers. Her arm was shaking and she could tell her aim would be horribly off. She resisted the urge to just let the string slowly back to the body of the bow and give up on the endeavor. Before she had a chance to change her mind, Alistair stepped away from her, releasing the bow and leaving it completely up to her own strength. The release of her assistance was too abrupt for her to compensate and the arrow flew. Natalie was too surprised to remember to tuck her left index finger away, and the cock feather scraped her hand as it raced past the bow grip. The arrow went wildly astray and pierced a wooden cutout of a shrub that the first dummy stood next to.

"Sorry about that," Alistair rubbed the back of his head, "I should have warned you that I was letting go."

Natalie glared at him and held her bow out for Bridget to fetch. The brunette took a step away and crossed her arms. A smirk crawled across her lips. "Try again," she encouraged.

Natalie bit the inside of her cheeks, huffed, and nocked another arrow. She fumbled her fingers around a bit before she was comfortable with the way Alistair instructed her. With her left index finger stretched out to keep the arrow still, she used two fingers to clumsily pull back the string. With her arms quaking again she released the arrow shortly after aiming for the first dummy. Remembering to tuck in her index finger upon firing, the arrow shot directly in to the dummy's chest.

"Very good," Alistair crossed in to the range and pulled on the arrow. It came out easily. "Not much power behind that though." He pulled out the arrow still stuck in the shrubbery cutout and brought both back to Natalie. She begrudgingly renocked one of them and again pulled back. Just before she was about to release again, Alistair's hand flew out and caught the string. "You need to pull the bow all the way back. Keep your left arm straight and steady. Now pull your right hand back until you can brush your ear with your thumb." He pulled the string back and untucked Natalie's thumb so it brushed her earring. He then raised her left arm so the arrow was straight and at eye level. "Now, look down the shaft of your ammo and aim for that dummy's head."

Alistair slowly released the string so Natalie had time to compensate. She aimed as best as she could, but the force was still too much for her to hold back and the arrow quaked. She shot, but the arrow flew past the head of the dummy and stuck in the stone wall the last dummy hid behind. She huffed and hung her head, again extending the bow for someone to put away.

Alistair looked her over before grabbing a new bow from the rack. It was a smaller recurve bow with the belly of the bow more rounded than the one Natalie was currently using. He pulled the string back a few times to test before trading Natalie.

She was grateful to have the bow taken from her, but instantly surprised to feel a new grip in her hand. Her head shot up and she stared at the new weapon before her eyes darted to Alistair and Bridget. "Are you trying to tell me that I'm not done with this stupid exercise?"

"Try pulling just the string back on that one," Alistair coaxed. "See if that's any easier for you."

With a quick eye roll, Natalie pulled back the string. She was so used to the force she needed for the other bow that her arm whipped back this time. Surprised, she curiously lowered the string back to its starting position before pulling back again. Three more times she slowly released the string and brought it back to her ear. It was much easier for her to pull back on this new bow.

"I had a feeling we just needed a better fit. Try firing now." Alistair nodded for her to nock another arrow.

Skeptically, she did as she was told and was surprised at how easy everything was for her. She took aim at the first dummy and released. The arrow shot easily and pierced the dummy's skull.

"That's good, that's good," Alistair nodded, "Now try to hit the other ones and go as fast as you can."

Natalie swallowed hard and nocked another arrow. She aimed for the second dummy and fired. It pierced the shoulder. Another arrow let loose and the third dummy soon had an arrow through its right arm. The final dummy was hidden behind the stone wall. There was barely any of the head showing. Natalie turned to Alistair and shrugged as she lowered the bow.

"What are you doing?" He scolded her, "Fire the arrow."

"But there's nothing to fire at," she whined back.

"There's the head. Shoot at the head."

"I can't hit that?"

"Try anyway."

She turned to Bridget, who had been quiet the entire time. "I can't make this. I've never fired a bow prior to today."

"Just try. What harm is there? It's not like this is life or death."

Natalie took a few deep breaths and raised the bow again. Another deep breath before she pulled back the string and aimed. She angled the arrow up to make up for the distance. She focused.

"Fire the arrow. Do it now!" Alistair urged.

Startled, Natalie let the arrow fly. She held her breath and saw the arrow connect with the straw of the firing dummy. Her eyes grew wide and Bridget started cheering. Before Natalie could break out of her shock, her roommate tackle hugged her.

"You did it!" Bridget giggled, "I can't believe you made that shot! That was amazing!"

"H-" Natalie blinked and shook her head. "How did I do that?"

"I had a feeling there was something special about you, girl." Alistair walked over to Natalie took aim at the first dummy and released. The arrow shot easily and pierced the dummy's skull.

"That's good, that's good," Alistair nodded, "Now try to hit the other ones and go as fast as you can."

Natalie swallowed hard and nocked another arrow. She aimed for the second dummy and fired. It pierced the shoulder. Another arrow let loose and the third dummy soon had an arrow through its right arm. The final dummy was hidden behind the stone wall. There was barely any of the head showing. Natalie turned to Alistair and shrugged as she lowered the bow.

"What are you doing?" He scolded her, "Fire the arrow."

"But there's nothing to fire at," she whined back.

"There's the head. Shoot at the head."

"I can't hit that?"

"Try anyway."

She turned to Bridget, who had been quiet the entire time. "I can't make this. I've never fired a bow prior to today."

"Just try. What harm is there? It's not like this is life or death."

Natalie took a few deep breaths and raised the bow again. Another deep breath before she pulled back the string and aimed. She angled the arrow up to make up for the distance. She focused.

"Fire the arrow. Do it now!" Alistair urged.

Startled, Natalie let the arrow fly. She held her breath and saw the arrow connect with the straw of the firing dummy. Her eyes grew wide and Bridget started cheering. Before Natalie could break out of her shock, her roommate tackle hugged her.

"You did it!" Bridget giggled, "I can't believe you made that shot! That was amazing!"

"H-" Natalie blinked and shook her head. "How did I do that?"

"I had a feeling there was something special about you, girl." Alistair walked over to Natalie and gave her an encouraging nod. "Now, I want you to fire at that last dummy one last time. Take all the time you need. Concentrate before firing. I want you to try to hit the dead center of the bullseye. Do you think you can do that?"

Natalie shook her head without taking a beat, "No way in hell could I make that shot. But I guess I'll try it again. What else do I have to do, right?"

Bridget released Natalie and jogged to the outer ring. Natalie slowly nocked her arrow and took a deep breath as she pulled back the string. She took careful aim at the dummy and fired; clenching her eyes shut as the arrow was released. She heard the crunch of the arrow piercing the dummy's head and Bridget again hooting encouragement.

Slowly opening one eye at a time she stared at the second arrow sticking out of the dummy. Right out of the center of the bullseye. "I can't believe I hit it again," Natalie muttered.

Alistair walked the range collecting Natalie's arrows. He would nod at the aim or the force before moving on to the next one. When he reached the last dummy he easily tugged the arrows out of the dummy's head. "Well, that won't do," he grumbled before half-jogging back to refill Natalie's quiver.

"Those last two shots were impressive," he handed Natalie one of the arrows, "but there was no real power behind it. I want you to get angry at the dummy. I want you to fire with as much strength as you can. Pull back as far as you can and hold it there to build up the tension before letting go. Really concentrate on that killing blow. Gather any anger you have in you and send it through your arrow."

Natalie nocked the arrow, rolled her shoulders and neck to loosen them, and pulled back the bow string with one fluid movement as she inhaled. She focused on the small bit of dummy head sticking out from behind the stone wall. She hit it once before, even as a fluke; it was possible she could hit it again.

She imagined her arrow flying from the string, across her hand, and in to the scarecrow's head. She imagined the bandits that attacked her when she first appeared in this strange land. She imagined what they would have done if Connor hadn't rescued her.

She then focused on Connor. He was the only one she knew in the whole of Gyateara and he abandoned her all because of a spat he had with the Guildmaster. She was left defenseless, alone, stranded, and clueless on how to make it home because he was too self-involved to put any time or effort in to anything. He had his own quests and missions he had to complete and she had no part in them.

The more she thought of her rescuer the more enraged she got at her abandonment. She wouldn't be defenseless. She refused. She wouldn't be helpless and just sit around waiting for an answer on how to get home. She wanted to be home now. She was tired of waiting and relying on people that could just drop her like garbage.

Natalie didn't hear Bridget's gasp. She didn't notice Alistair taking a step away from her with his eyes wide. She couldn't feel the gush of wind that was spiraling around her feet and quickly circling around her whole body. All she knew as her determination to be able to hold her own in this world. With a primal cry she loosened her arrow.

The spiraling wind rushed to her arms, her fingertips, and finally circled around the arrow. The vortex cut through the air, pushing away any air resistance that would otherwise slow the projectile down. With a loud crack the arrow hit the dummy. The neck on the dummy snapped at the force and the head dangled on the last fibers of the neck. The only portion of the arrow that remained sticking out of the front of the dummy's head was the grouping of fletchings.

"Oh, by the Four Sisters! What was that?" Bridget choked on her words, struggling to remember how to speak.

"Could it be that you are even more special than even the Guildmaster knows?" Alistair scratched at his stubble and slowly walked around Natalie, watching her carefully.

Natalie panted as the bow fell to her side. With the dummy's neck snapped she couldn't see it behind the wall any longer. The red and yellow of the feathered fletchings were the only clue the dummy was ever there to begin with. "What just happened?"

"I think you are capable of Will use, my dear," Alistair stood in front of her and nodded proudly. "Even more impressive is that you seemed to have tapped in to an element that has been long lost to Albion's mages. We have mastery over ground, fire, and water. You appear to be the first to be able to control the very air."

"She's-" Bridget gaped and pointed at her roommate, "an Air Master?"

"The first in over one thousand years," Alistair confidently crossed his arms and smirked. "A wondrous woman, indeed."


	7. Chapter 7

"Try again." The Guildmaster stood on the bridge that connected the rest of the Heroes Guild grounds to the small island that the apprentices practiced their magic on. He stood tall and strong with his arms crossed.

"I can't do this," Natalie whined, "I don't know how I did it at the archery range." Since Alistair called Natalie out as an Air Master, the Guildmaster had foregone searching his books for a way to restore the Love Key Jewel in order to train her personally.

"You need to concentrate. You need to focus. Think the thoughts you had when you shot that last arrow."

Natalie actually missed the shooting range now. Once Alistair gave her the right bow she felt natural holding it. Letting the arrows fly from her fingers was like extending her own arm. She was overwhelmed with how much withdrawal she was having for a sport she only participated in for ten minutes.

She closed her eyes and attempted to clear her mind. She rolled her shoulders a little to loosen up. She thought of the bandits that attacked her. She thought of Connor abandoning her. She thought of how she didn't want to be hopeless and how she just wanted to be home. She thought about how her fluke at the archery range was now keeping the Guildmaster from finding a way for her to return to Earth. She got frustrated and the rage manifested as blades of wind spiraling around her feet. The blades scattered the grass and dirt in a mini-tornado.

"Good! Good!" The Guildmaster's voice became more and more excitable as he cautiously stepped forward. "Now, aim at one of the dummies and fire all of that energy."

Natalie envisioned a ball of energy in her gut and passed it up to her chest. The ball bobbed in her chest. Meanwhile, the tornado of dirt and grass around her feet wrapped around her legs like a snake and traveled up and around her chest – following the energy ball. In all the movies and shows she had seen over the years, Natalie noticed that all the super heroes would direct their shots with their hand. Instinctively, she extended her right arm with her palm facing one of the dummies. In an instant, she abruptly opened her eyes and pictured the energy ball passing through her arm and out her hand. She even rocked back a little with recoil.

Not a single straw of hay even wavered on the dummy. The wind snake had also left Natalie. Everything around them was still. She took a step back and heavily exhaled, whipping her head around to find any evidence of damage anywhere on the island.

"What-" The Guildmaster was equally in shock, "What happened? You had it. I saw the air moving around you. What did you do?"

"I don't know! That's what I'm trying to tell you. I don't know what I'm doing at all!"

The Guildmaster sighed and stroked his chin. "Fine, fine that's enough for the day. Why don't you go over to the archery range and practice some more with Alistair, hm?"

"Finally." Natalie stormed passed the Guildmaster and over to the bow rack. She searched for the bow she had used three days prior. She pulled back on each of the strings, waiting for that perfect feel. Once she was content on her weapon she picked up a quiver and walked over to the dirt ring by the range fence.

"Good afternoon, Natalie," Alistair greeted her, "I'm surprised to see you off Will Island."

"Yeah," she rolled her eyes, "me too. I just need something to get my mind off this whole mage business. May I try some range practice?"

Alistair nodded and motioned for her to take her place. She took a few deep breathes to calm herself before nocking her first arrow and drawing back the string. Mindlessly, she aimed, fired, reloaded, and fired again. She paid no attention to time, only accuracy. Once her quiver was empty she turned to the shocked instructor. "Sir? Is something wrong?"

Alistair stared at her, then at the dummies, and then back at her. "Have you been practicing without me?"

"No." Natalie gave him an inquisitive side glance as she started to walk over to the fence to fetch her arrows.

"You swear you never touched a bow before three days ago?"

"Yes. I swear. What's this about?" She turned to notice every scarecrow had an arrow sticking out of the dead center of each of their heads. She knew she was taking her time with her aim, but she didn't expect to be so spot on with it. With an ecstatic grin she whipped back to Alistair, whose jaw was still hanging loose.

"It kept you about a minute to do all that. I have students who've trained for years who still aren't that good."

Taking a deep gulp, Natalie collected her arrows and returned to the firing ring. Part of her wanted to stop. There was enough weirdness for one day. Part of her wanted to continue. She looked to Alistair for advice. He already had three more quivers and a stand in his arms.

He set up the stand and hung two of the quivers off of it. He then harnessed the third one to Natalie's other hip. "I want you to take as much time as you need," he instructed her, "and don't stop until you've gone through all sixteen arrows. Don't think. Shoot. Release all of your anger and frustration. De-stress. I want to see what happens."

Natalie shyly nodded and nocked her first arrow. She cleared her mind and aimed. Fired. Bullseye. She attempted another shot. Same results. After the first quiver she allowed her mind to wander. She put her body in to autopilot as she thought back through the weeks she had been in Albion. She released her frustration in every arrow. One for being forced to constantly train in a power she had no clue if she could even use again. One for the Guildmaster giving up his research for said training. One for her being stuck in Albion longer because the research on how to send her home had stopped. One for no one else having even a clue on how to send her home. One for not knowing how to even find the other jewel shards, let alone how to repair the jewel and use it to send her home. One for not knowing if using the jewel would send her home. One for Connor abandoning her. One for each of the bandits. One for being helpless in this world. And another for being helpless. And another. And another.

The more she focused on being helpless in this foreign world the faster her shots got. Each one easily piercing the head of the second to last dummy. The wind blades again surrounded her feet and snaked up around her body. As she released her last arrow she cried out, "I will not be defenseless!"

The spiral of air leapt from her body and encased the arrow, jet streaming its flight until it busted the dummy the same way the last scarecrow. Natalie collapsed to her knees and wept.

Alistair sprinted for the Guildmaster and dragged him to the archery range, frantically telling him his observations in the process. "Natalie?" he cautiously placed a hand on her shoulder, "Do you think you can fire one more arrow?"

She looked up to see Alistair holding out another quiver, the Guildmaster carefully watching from the firing ring's edge. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and stood up again. "I don't know how I keep doing that," she sniffled.

"I think I might. You yelled out about not wanting to be defenseless. Do you recall the thoughts and feelings you had just as you fired?" When Natalie nodded, Alistair jangled the quiver by her hand, "Then try thinking it again and fire once more."

She grabbed an arrow, took aim, and thought about being abandoned, attacked, and helpless. She was alone in this world. She couldn't depend on anyone because everyone had their own agenda. Everyone would just continue on with their own lives and forget her once she became irrelevant to them. Who knows if anyone would ever take enough time to figure out how to send her back home? She had to rely on herself.

Once more the wind started to circle her feet and wrap her before encasing the arrow in a bullet shell of air. The second firing dummy's head was easily ripped off and pinned on to the wooden cut-out of a tree behind it.

"Fascinating," The Guildmaster stepped forward, "Can you try to hit the closest dummy without using an arrow?" Natalie turned to him, confused on what he wanted. "Use Will, my child. Think the very same thoughts, but use Will instead of the bow."

Natalie turned towards the last dummy and stared it down like she would down the shaft of an arrow. She focused on her determination to be self-reliant since everyone else in Albion would never truly help her. Not without ulterior motive at least. The same thoughts and feelings bubbled inside her once more. Again, she held out her hand as a way to channel the energy. The wind laced around her arm and waited to be released on to the dummy. She pictured a ball of air forming in her hand like the fireball did in Connor's. Remembering how he pitched the fireball, she tried to do the same. As her arm whipped back forward the wind left her arm and harmlessly dispersed.

Blinking in disbelief, Natalie clenched her fists and started stomping the ground. She gave a primal roar that scattered the birds from the trees before she again collapsed to her knees. "I- I don't know why I can't do this!"

"Truly fascinating," The Guildmaster didn't seem disappointed at all. He motioned for Alistair to collect the arrows and then walked in front of Natalie. He extended a hand to help her up, a warm smile on his face. "It seems that you are indeed capable of using the lost element mastery, however it appears to only manifest if you have a weapon to direct it. I am curious if the same can be done through the use of a melee weapon. Would you mind following me to the fight ring?"

Natalie was tired from using so much Will energy, as well as releasing so much raw emotion. However, if following the Guildmaster now meant he would soon be back to his research she was willing to do anything. She accepted his assistance to her feet and nodded that she'd join him.

After getting the melee instructor to set up a practice dummy in the center of the ring, the Guildmaster handed Natalie a sword. "It's a dull sword, so it shouldn't do much damage. However, I just wish to see if you can power up your swing the same way you can with your shots. Care to try?"

The sword was heavy in her arms, but she gave it a few practice swings anyway. Once inside the ring she slowly swung at the dummy, tapping its arms, waist and head, in order to get the feel of the exercise. Content that she was as ready as she could be, she focused one last time on the feelings of insecurity, neglect, helplessness, and the desire to be self-sufficient.

The wind wrapped as it did before and traveled to the blade of the sword. However, when the blade crashed in to the dummy the encasing air was pushed out of the back of the blade, causing no further damage to the scarecrow. Frustrated, she swung again and again. Each time gave the same non-devastating results.

Tired, she walked back to the weapons rack and put away her sword. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a short sword and picked it up. She gave the new blade a few test swings to check the weight and balance.

"Be careful," The Guildmaster attempted to take the short sword from her, "that is an actual blade, not a practice sword."

Natalie spun away from the Guildmaster's reach and ran back to the dummy. With newly installed confidence, she powered up and swung at the dummy. The air blade stayed with the edge of the sword, making the practice dummy easy to slice through. Although, Natalie forgot to adjust for the length of the new sword and only broke the first few strands of straw.

With a stomp she swung her arm back and tried again. With a yell she powered up and focused the wind on the blade of her sword. Stepping forward, she swung and hit the neck of the dummy. Half way through her slice the wind dissipated, catching the sword in the straw. The dummy's head sagged to the right as Natalie struggled to yank the sword out of its neck. With an ungraceful pull, she wrenched the blade free and fell on to her butt.

The melee instructor heartily laughed, causing Natalie to glare at him. The Guildmaster stifled his own chuckle and cleared his throat. The instructor caught his laugh and swallowed it down again. He sheepishly gathered the damaged scarecrow and carried it to the repair shed.

"I don't know what happened," Natalie hung her head as she dusted her pants off, "I had the power. I know I did. I saw it. I felt it. I just couldn't hold on to it."

"It's alright, child." The Guildmaster extended his hand to take the sword from Natalie. Without looking at him, she held the hilt out for him to accept. "You knew nothing of Will. The fact that you can use a forgotten element of it is impressive enough. I would like for you to keep training in melee. You never know when you'd have to use it. However, you seem to focus best with the bow. Practice using Will as much as you can while shooting. Perhaps you can grow to use the power without the focus of a weapon."

"Do you have enough of those firing dummies for me to destroy by using Will? I feel so bad wrecking so many of them."

The Guildmaster smiled as he put the sword away. "Fret not, my dear. The dummies are easily fixed. I might also have you train in the woods just past our grounds. It's filled with large beetles that are always a nuisance that needs to be exterminated. There are also plenty of trees that we could later use for firewood should you manage to destroy them enough. The next time I send Bridget out to take care of the pests I'll make sure she brings you along."

He walked over to Natalie and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He started directing her back to the main building of the Guild. "In the meantime, it seems we need to find you a proper bow for you to keep on you at all times. Using the same weapon will help you learn easier."

The Guildmaster brought her to the armory attached to the general store. The two walked through the multiple aisles of bows; Natalie trying each one out until she found one she was comfortable with. She finally decided upon a dark yew bow and the Guildmaster compensated the store keeper. He then instructed her to keep up her practicing as he finally headed back to the library to research.


End file.
